If You Stay
by Rendezvous2
Summary: After his failed invasion on the Human World, Grimmjow's kicked out of Las Noches and left for dead in Karakura town. Enter Mikan, who knew he was the enemy and even then, saves him and finds herself falling deeper and faster than what's good for her. Far from happy and with more questions than answers, Grimmjow will stay, just so he can pay back his debt, but at what costs?
1. Chapter 1: Appearance

**A/N: Sup peeps! This is my first non- Naruto- related thing I've written, and that trophy goes to the character and anime/manga...(drumroll please)...Grimmjow Jeagerjaques of Bleach! Why am I so obsessed with this blue haired maniac? Does anyone have a cure? Anyways (just getting this long A/N out of the way), it was inspired by an unfinished story by xLonely Soldierx and also, I will try to upload on a daily basis, but honestly, don't expect any kind of pattern. Don't worry, if there are actually people who want to keep reading the story when I, myself, have lost interest, I'll wrap it up so I won't leave you guys hanging :] That being said, please enjoy!**

Chapter 1

The day was dark and pouring rain when Grimmjow fell from the garganta. The heavy rain drenched his already injured body in mere seconds.

The fall seemed to take forever, but when the time came for his body to meet the ground, it happened in an instant. His right shoulder took the brunt of the impact, and then the rest of his body smacked against the sidewalk limply. The wounds in his arms and back had probably turned from a flow to a gushing river of black arrancar blood. Thankfully, the bastards in Hueco Mundo had been dumb enough not to confiscate his sword, _Pantera_. But even with his powerful zanpakuto strapped to his side, he could barely move a hand to wield it. Grimmjow lay on the sidewalk facedown, with his head turned to the left. It was pathetic really, the _Sexta_ Espada reduced to not even being able to defend himself? Cold rain poured down on him, soaking his black, blood- stained clothes. Because of the weather and darkness, even the lights from the nearby houses didn't illuminate the body lying on the ground.

The sixth Espada made a soft noise, more a groan from pain than anything. His face still bore its usual scowl, blue eyebrows knit together, cerulean eyes narrowed. Grimmjow closed them, sighing softly from anger and, although he would never admit it, helplessness.

_How could this have happened? I'm the king! Damn! Damn that Aizen...damn him... damn, damn..._ Grimmjow thought, as his mind started to slowly drift off. His eyes slid halfway open, staring blankly out in front of him. Even in the dark night, his keen eyesight could see an even darker color spreading out, swirling with the rain water. It was probably seeping out from his wounds. Who cared anyways? If he was going to die, who cared how badly he was injured?

Grimmjow's eyes slid shut, the teal markings under them no longer complimenting the blue orbs above.

Mikan sipped her warm tea, listening to the rain pound on the roof of Urahara shop. Said owner chuckled, lifting his head up at the noise.

"My, it sure is quite a torrent, tonight, isn't it?" He said in his trademark, slightly sarcastic sounding, voice. "I'd hate to be caught up in _that_ right now."

Mikan agreed by smiling, setting down her cup and standing up from the floor. "Should I go lock up the shop up front? I know that you didn't do it, Kisuke." She said to him. Urahara responded by laughing nervously. "Well what makes you say that?"

"I know you too well." She said back, and left the room to lock the store for the night.

Mikan walked to the doors, opening them for a second, to check to make sure no one was there and poking around. Her brown eyes swept across the surroundings, squinting out at the sidewalk, the rain making it hard to properly see, but it looked to her as if there was a _something_ there, too dark to see clearly. Something like, a body.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself. Mikan had watched one too many horror movies to know how this went. A heavy rain day? Mysterious body- shaped object? A lone girl?

Despite what her thumping heart was telling her, Mikan was just too curious, and after all, if it were someone in trouble, all the more reason to check it out, right? She grabbed an umbrella leaning against the wall inside the shop and slipped on a pair of shoes. The air was a bit cold and thick from the rain. Mikan walked closer to the shape, lips slightly parted. The nervous girl's eyes darted around, suspicious of anything that was too dark to see clearly. Which included the "body."

_I should've brought Urahara,_ Mikan thought as she closed the remaining distance to the dark silhouette.

Her hands grasping the umbrella shook slightly when she took in the bloody sight.

Even with the low experience Mikan had with matters such as hollows and other spiritual beings, she could feel from the weak spiritual pressure still lingering in the air that it was a man, an arrancar. His face wasn't visible, shielded by drenched blue hair. Never the one for fights and battles when Ichigo and his friends went to fight hollows, Mikan's eyes couldn't help but start to water when she saw the state he was in. Ripped, tattered clothes that were stained with a black substance, deep cuts on both upper arms, smaller wounds on the legs, and a neat slash from the hollow hole to the left shoulder.

Mikan bit her lip, not sure what to do. "Oh damn it," she cursed softly, "what's Urahara going to say when I drag in a hollow body, nonetheless?" She said with a bit of dry humor. But disregarding that fact, it was her heart that beat out her mind in the end. Carefully lifting both the blue haired man's arms, Mikan held the umbrella in between her cheek and shoulder, and slowly dragged the mysterious hollow towards the warmth of Urahara's shop. The sound of the stranger's knees dragging on the floor made Mikan wince, but it couldn't be helped.

When finally she reached the shop, she kicked the doors closed, panting from the effort it took to lug the heavy body, despite the fact that the bluenette was actually quite fit, he was still significantly larger than Mikan, who barely stood at five foot three.

"Urahara! Hannataro! Get over here, and quickly, dammit!" She yelled, a rare moment. Immediately, Urahara barged in, followed by Hannataro and Renji. All three of them took a step back simultaneously, which would've been funny for Mikan if that situation at hand weren't so serious. Mikan looked up at them from her spot on her knees next to the arrancar. Her eyes shined with something- hope?

"Please. Help him." She begged. Mikan knew he was the enemy, but for some reason, she didn't think she could bear it if he were to die when she had the ability to save him.

Urahara let out a deep sigh, then gestured for Hinnataro to comply. The squad four member looked surprise, but obliged anyway, momentarily going out of the room only to return with bandages, rags, and a bin of water. Renji faced Urahara.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you know he's the Espada that beat up Ichigo and nearly killed Rukia?!" He asked with a raising voice.

"I know exactly what kind of risks and danger we're dealing with right now. He's Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the sixth Espada. However, I can't help but wonder why none of us sensed his spiritual pressure. After all, isn't he an Espada?" He wondered out loud. Renji blinked, starting to comprehend what Urahara was saying. Mikan watched Hinnataro work, occasionally helping hand a wet rag or bandage.

"Where exactly did you find him?" Urahara asked Mikan.

"He was just lying there on the sidewalk. I didn't see anybody else." She said. Urahara made a curious sound, tapping his finger against his chin.

"In his current state, I doubt he'll be able to do anything. Renji, go call Ichigo and the others and tell them to come over immediately." Urahara said. The redhead nodded and exited the room.

Next to Grimmjow, Mikan got a good look at the arrancar for the first time. His hair, she had to admit, was a lovely shade of blue, and there were sharp teal markings under his closed eyes. His right side of his jaw was where his hollow bone fragment was, and of course, there was the unmistakable hollow hole in his abdomen.

Hinnataro finished wrapping Grimmjow's left shoulder up and pulled cleaned sheets just below his chin. "He should be out of any immediate danger now. We'll just have to let his body do the rest." He said and left the room with the supplies.

Mikan sighed and looked over at the sleeping Espada. She didn't think he looked so big and scary when he was asleep. In fact, with his face peaceful and with his mouth slightly parted, he looked almost innocent. Of course, Mikan knew better to think that. She just didn't want to think about the things he'd done.

Hesitantly, Mikan hovered her hand over his face, and then gently brushed the back of it against his forehead, moving the small locks of hair that flopped right back to place when she removed her hand. Mikan retreated her hand immediately, a little shocked at what she had just done. If someone had been in the room with her, would she still have done it?

Perhaps it was best to give him some space, albeit he was unconscious. Mikan stood up and grasped the door knob, her eyes lingered one last time on Grimmjow's face, then at the sheet that covered the wounds she knew were there. Before she left to join the others, she whispered, more to herself than anyone, "You'll be alright."

**A/N: End of chapter 1! I really hope it didn't seem too dragged out, everything just needed to fall in place before the good stuff can hapen :)If you liked it, maybe leave a review? If you didn't, maybe leave a review? If you really liked it, maybe give it a follow? {more shameless advertising}**


	2. Chapter 2: Heart

**Hey peeps, (should I call you guys something else? Haha) so I now present chapter 2! A bit more talking, but there's some Grimmjow in it to balance it out. I just don't want this story to be one of those rushed, girl- meets- boy- and they get married stories. Also, it becomes obvious that this takes place after Ichigo first meets Grimmjow. Everything else beyond that point is stuff I've made up. Enjoy? ^_^**

**Chapter 2 **

**Heartstrings **

Ichigo, Orihime, Rukia, Uryuu, and Chad ended up getting to Urahara shop in record time. Their fast commute had been because, as Renji had said, "Hurry and get your asses here, a life is on the line as we speak," and had promptly hung up on Ichigo. They _did_ get to the shop faster than usual, though, so no one besides Ichigo complained.

Mikan fidgeted slightly at the table with the others. Urahara was discussing the matter with everyone, with Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji dominating the conversation.

"Rukia! As much as I hate the fact he'll be under the same roof as some of my closest friends, we can't just kill the guy! And handing him over to the Soul Society is out of the question, too." He added when Rukia opened her mouth to object. At this, Mikan finally said something.

"I agree with Ichigo and Urahara. Maybe he can tell us something about Aizen and his plans. He doesn't seem too big a threat in his current state." She said, really for some reason, just wanting to keep Grimmjow alive. Everyone in the room knew the instant Grimmjow left their care and into the Soul Society, Head Captain Yamammoto would personally execute the Espada, regardless of what anyone said.

Urahara made a long sound, lightly fanning himself with his fan. "My decision is final. Our blue haired guest is to stay with us for the time being. After all, Mikan, didn't you talk to me the other day about needing a... little protection with you during your new commute to Karakura High School? Everything works out great, it's perfect!" Urahara laughed happily.

"Wait a minute, Mikan- why didn't you ask me or Rukia or Renji if you had trouble walking to school? And why the protection in the first place?" Ichigo demanded. Mikan sighed, twisting a lock of dark, dark, brown hair. "Well Renji and Rukia are about to leave for the Soul Society soon, and I didn't want to cause you more trouble than you needed. It's not that big a deal anyways, it's just that... whenever hollows show up, I can never do anything. I don't want to be the reason one of you guys dies." She said, looking around the table at everyone.

Ichigo sighed as well and nodded. "Fine. Then tomorrow, when the first day of school starts, you'll be okay with that arrancar walking with you?" Mikan tried smiling, as if reassuring Ichigo. It was more like comforting herself. Ichigo's tone when speaking about Grimmjow didn't go missed by Mikan, or anyone for that matter.

"Then everyone, let's all go home and have a nice night's sleep. School's first thing tomorrow, Mikan." Urahara said, clearly dismissing the topic for that night. Mikan stood up with the others, biting her lip. Tomorrow would be her first day of real school. Mikan's parents had been killed in a car accident when she was four. Their souls had never made it to the Soul Society, as a hollow had appeared shortly after and mercilessly devoured them. The Soul Reapers had arrived too late. Mikan was later taken in by Urahara, who realized the child could see spiritual beings. However. since then, Mikan had straight up refused to attend school. And Urahara, being the responsible, wise, caretaker he was, allowed her to stay home and taught her things himself.

Mikan walked to her room, feet softly padding through the halls. Right before turning in for the night, she decided to go see how Grimmjow was doing. You know, make sure he hadn't died or anything.

The cold doorknob twisted under her hand, the door creaking slightly, giving off an eerie mood in the dark room. Mikan could only make out the outline of the surface of Grimmjow's face and blanketed body in the moonlit room.

Suddenly a low raspy voice spoke. "Where am I?" He said, breaking the silence.

Mikan let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in, and softly closed the door behind her. It was the first time she's heard the Espada speak, and couldn't deny the fact that it was pretty, _very_ actually, very sexy.

"You're in Urahara shop. I found you outside in the rain and brought you in."

"Why?"

Mikan blinked. The reply had not been expected, and she was slightly dumbfounded. Why _had_ she saved him? It must've been simply humanity, human nature to save an injured person, _er_, arrancar. After all, Mikan doubted even Ichigo would've let him die out in the cold rain.

"Um. Well I couldn't exactly just let you die out there by yourself."

Grimmjow turned his head away from the door and Mikan. He blinked several times, just the moonlight shining through the blinds hurting his eyes. He sighed and faced the ceiling again.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do here? You Soul Reapers gonna kill me?" Grimmjow said harshly. It was a vast contrast to the almost soft voice he had been using a second ago.

Mikan shook her head, even though he wasn't looking at her. "No. You, um, have to escort me to school starting tomorrow. As like, repayment. I saved your life, it's the least you can do!" Mikan said. She didn't know why she was acting like this, as if she needed to prove herself, explain her reasoning to him. It was silly, really.

Grimmjow scoffed and Mikan's heart sunk a little. Why that little notion bothered her puzzled Mikan to no end.

"And what makes you think I have to obey your commands? I'll do whatever the hell I want." With that, Grimmjow turned to his side and wrapped the blanket tightly around him. Mikan opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by him.

"Get out. I need to sleep."

It was quite offending. Mikan's eyebrows shot up, and she had to resist the urge to fling open his covers and deck him right in the face, but the nice, more humane, side of her was knocking inside her head, telling her to listen to the blue haired Espada.

"Don't you have any form of honor? A code? Your word?" Quickly, Mikan opened the door and shut it behind her, feeling a bit more content after the little sassy comment she threw in at the end. It made her feel good to know that Grimmjow's words hadn't bothered her. Which they hadn't. Not at all.

It was getting late. School started in less than eight hours, and Mikan was definitely not a morning person. She couldn't help, as she snuggled in her covers, but think if a certain blue haired- man, she grudgingly labeled him as- would be there to walk with her and the others to school. Urahara, with his mysterious ways no one questioned, had probably already registered him into high school.

Why did it matter anyway? Grimmjow had a hot face- that was all. Mikan sighed and stared up at the ceiling in darkness. She didn't even know him. He was a killer. He beat up Ichigo. He nearly killed Rukia.

And yet, Mikan couldn't help but feel drawn to him. It would do no good, and she had to get rid of the feeling beginning to settle deep in her heart.

**A/N: Chapter 2! I hope you guys liked it. Is the talking too boring? Maybe the next chapter will fix that ;) Btw, do you want chapters to be longer? Just wondering. Review if you liked it, review if you didn't. Give this story a follow, or maybe even- dare I say- a fav? Crazy. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3: First Impressions

**Hellooooo Ichigo! Heehee (Keigo reference anyone?) Anyways, thanks for the positive feedback! It really does mean a lot to me ^_^ Sooo enjoy chaaapter 3!**

**Chapter 3**

**First Impressions**

Mikan groaned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Turns out seven hours of sleep hadn't been enough for her. All night she had been twisting and turning in her bed, unable to fall into a deep sleep.

"Mikaaan! Tiiime for school!" Came the blaringly loud and overly cheerful voice of Urahara. Mikan glared at the wall opposite of her bed. Why did Urahara come to the conclusion that she needed a proper education now, of all times? After thirteen years of the sticker- system, Mikan wasn't too sure she'd fit into a normal school so readily, anyway.

Nonetheless, ignoring every fiber of her body that was screaming for more rest, Mikan flung open the covers and got ready for eight hours of sitting and listening. Just _thinking_ about it made her want to crawl back into her lovely, warm bed.

The smell of bacon woke her from her grumpy state. Practically drooling, Mikan ran into the kitchen, sat into a chair, and happily bounced up and down. In fact, the whole morning, she had managed not to think about a certain blue haired Espada. That is, until she noticed he was standing in the corner of the room.

_He looks pretty sharp in that uniform_, Mikan couldn't help but notice. Aside from the blue hair and teal eye markings, Grimmjow could almost pass for a human high school student. Almost, without that dark scowl on his face.

Urahara fanned himself lightly, watching Mikan and Grimmjow carefully. "You don't have to worry about him. I put a kido over him that limits his abilities, so he shouldn't be able to cause too much trouble." Turning to Grimmjow, he said," Just, ya know, watch over her. Keep the bad things away and all." With every word, Grimmjow's scowl got deeper. Mikan was surprised he didn't have serious wrinkles.

"Whatever." He said venomously. Mikan cautiously sat down and ate, now unsure of the whole ordeal. She had faith in Urahara's abilities, but Grimmjow just emitted a sort of vibe that she got the chills from. But seeing the mighty Sexta Espada in a human school uniform, necktie and all, was definitely worth it, not to mention nearly laughable.

Mikan stuffed one last bite of pancake into her mouth and mumbled a bye to Urahara, who nodded his head. She shouldered her backpack and slipped on a pair of simple brown oxfords that matched the uniform. Behind her, she could hear Grimmjow following. He was being surprisingly obedient; was this all so he could backstab them and escape back to Las Noches?

"So, do you know how things in the human world work?" Mikan asked tentatively to Grimmjow, who was standing a bit closer to her side than she would have preferred. He was slightly slouched over with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Sharp blue eyes stared straight on, and he didn't respond to her question, acting totally ignorant to anything. Mikan's eyebrow twitched.

"In school, there's a lot of other students who will probably ask about your appearance with the...blue hair...and all." She slowly mumbled away. He gave no response as to if he hadn't heard her, or just chose not to answer. It was probably the latter. At this, Mikan was starting to get impatient. Best not to lose her cool though, she didn't want to piss the Espada off, kido or no kido.

"There are writing utensils, which you hold with your hand and write with. Pencil's erasable, but pens or markers are harder to wash off on clothes, so don't get any of your uniform, otherwise I'll probably end up having to wash it." Mikan rambled on, feeling gloomy at the prospect of having to explain everything to the arrancar. This was crazy- sending him to school when he wasn't familiar with anything!

"Just shut up. As far as I'm concerned, I'm only here to be your bodyguard, and that's all. I'm only going to this damn school of yours to follow you around, got it?" Grimmjow snapped. Mikan's eyebrows arched. The rough tone had not been expected, and Mikan didn't exactly react well with it. She knew she was easily upset- tears were simply a trigger, an immediate reaction, and it was one of the things she hated most about herself.

"You... don't have to be so mean." Mikan muttered. Oh God, why was she _so_ pathetic? She was embarrassing herself. Mikan blinked fast, trying to keep the tears at bay. She could already feel her nose starting to stuff up. Too late. Mikan sniffed as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Grimmjow glanced at the human girl and sighed tiredly. She was fucking crying. Of course, because his situation couldn't get _any_ worse.

Mikan turned her head so her dark brown hair shielded her face from the Espada. He probably thought she couldn't get any weaker considering the things he'd gone through. Mikan bit her tongue to keep down any hiccups and wiped her tears away. He hadn't even said anything that bad, just the truth. So why was she acting like a little girl who didn't get her toy?

"Hey. Quit crying, will ya? It's not going to make anything better, and you look like a mess. So stop it." Came Grimmjow's blunt comment. Mikan blinked. Was that his way of comforting her? It wasn't very effective, as she was still trying hard not to. Mikan furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm not crying!"

"Tch yeah, ok. Whatever." That _whatever_ again. It was like he was trying to dismiss all conversation and points of arguing.

"Even if I am crying, which I'm not, it's not like I want to! I hate crying around people." Mikan muttered. Grimmjow stayed silent, probably ignoring her again. She didn't mind, as long as he didn't bring up the topic again. There was only so much self- humiliation she could inflict upon herself.

The walk to school was over faster than expected. Mikan checked her phone again. 8: 27. Three minutes left.

Leading Grimmjow through the halls of crowded students getting to class, Mikan walked into room 3B. Half the class was already filled, and lo and behold, Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu, and Orihime were among the filled seats.

Mikan smiled brightly, forgetting about Grimmjow for a moment, and not hearing the whispers either.

"Ichigo! Orihime! We're all in the same class!" She said happily. Orihime smiled and giggled. "Looks like it. But, um, I'm guessing he is too?" She said, referring to Grimmjow, who had already taken a seat near the window. He sat with his chin resting on the palm of his propped up hand. And as usual, glaring at the wall in front of him with the usual scowl plastered on his face.

"What a scary guy. Looks like he's going to kill that wall." Chad said stoically. Ichigo scoffed in agreement. Mikan sighed and shook her head.

"He's not all that bad, you guys. If anything, I don't think he's going to hurt anyone." Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, the teacher strolled in, slamming the door behind her.

"Good morning class! My name is Ms. Sato, and welcome to homeroom! Let's first get attendance done, shall we?" She said, a bit overly cheerful. Mikan could practically smell her lethal perfume.

The teacher, Ms. Sato, strolled through the roll, pausing only once at Grimmjow's name.

"Orihime Inoue?"

"Present!"

"Next, G- Grimmjow...Jee-no, Jaygur jaquiz? Sorry about that!" Ms. Sato stuttered. Mikan's eyes widened and shot to the hot- tempered Grimmjow. His usual scowl was in place. She was surprised he hadn't blown a cero through the roof already.

There was a silence, then a few whispers and chuckles.

"It's- Grimmjow. Jeagerjaques." He muttered. A group of girls giggled like a couple of airheads and immediately began whispering amongst themselves. Being right next to Mikan, she could hear, annoyingly clear, words like, "hot" and "mysterious," being tossed around.

Grimmjow growled quietly in his seat. This whole concept was starting to piss him off. Mikan had given him a pencil, pen, and notebook, all which were set neatly in front of him. What did she expect him to do here? Actually listen to the pathetic female human currently blabbering about rules and shit like that? As if he were bound by mere regulations. He was Grimmjow Jeagerjaques! In Hueco Mundo, Aizen had told them not to go to the human world, but did he listen and follow orders? Nope.

Then again, he did get his arm sliced off later. And now that he had been kicked out of Hueco Mundo, he didn't really have anywhere else to go. Here, those Shinigami were practically offering him shelter, all in return for information about that bastard Aizen. As much as he hated to accept it, his current situation was probably as good as it was going to get.

"Mr. Jeagerjaques? Boy, you have a fun name, don't cha?" Ms. Sato chuckled and shook her head, clearing it. "Anyways, why don't you share a few things about yourself next?"

Mikan was nervous for Grimmjow, again. She had hoped Urahara had briefed him on things like this, but in the case he hadn't, Grimmjow was going to be in trouble.

The bluenette didn't move an inch. Then, he spoke.

"I like fighting." One girl next to Mikan actually squealed, muffling the sound into her hands. Mikan, on the other hand, couldn't believe he had actually said that. It was the truth, albeit a crude one, that would frowned upon by the teacher.

"You do know this school does not tolerate violence?"

"I don't fight anymore." The words had an almost bitter sound to them. Were they about Aizen? Or why he was in the human world to begin with?

"Alrighty then. Just remember," Ms. Sato smiled a closed- eye smile (Mikan thought it looked creepy) and wagged a finger, "no fighting!"

The rest of the hours went by without too much incident. A couple times Mikan had caught Grimmjow just staring out the window when he should've been reading. She felt like she was being obesessive checking on him so much, but didn't he know better? He may not have been in the most ideal situation, but he could at least pay attention so he wouldn't get in trouble!

It felt like a relief when the bell signaling the end of class rang. Ms. Sato tried calling out to the students filing out of class to remember to do their homework, but Mikan doubted anyone was even listening to her.

Grimmjow held the notebook and writing utensils by his side. Ichigo and the others were waiting for Mikan, who in turn was waiting for Grimmjow.

"That wasn't so bad, huh?" Mikan asked cheerfully. Ichigo rolled his eyes. Clearly, he still hadn't gotten over that time Grimmjow had beat him so bad he couldn't even walk straight.

Grimmjow just grunted. As the group walked out the door, three girls were already waiting there, eager looks on their makeup- clouded faces.

The one in the middle, a leggy redhead with long wavy hair, stepped forward, completely ignoring everyone other than Grimmjow. Mikan raised an eyebrow as she and the others were pushed to the side.

"Um, hey, so I'm Ayame, and I thought it was kind of cool that you liked fighting. I actually used to box a few years ago, too!" She said bubbly. _Boxing?_ Mikan thought. _Was this girl for real?_

Grimmjow didnt say anything, just stuffed his hands into his pockets, the notebook held tightly between his arm and his body.

"Well I was thinking if maybe you'd like to hang out with me and my friends later this weekend? We can show you around town and-"

"Forget it."

Grimmjow turned to Mikan and the others and walked straight on without looking back. Ichigo, Chad, and Uryuu went on too, all three of them with looks of astonishment and even a bit of admiration.

Orihime and Mikan looked at eachother before spluttering, trying to hold in their laughter. It was rude, yes, but the way Ayame stood there, shell shocked, and the way Grimmjow had completely crushed her offer without the slightest mercy or interest was enough to make anyone burst out laughing.

Ayame's two friends started comforting her as she watched Grimmjow walk away. She didn't say anything, her mouth just hung open. Finally, she changed her expression into one of confidence, although it was clear she was anything but at the moment.

"Well, whatever. I guess I'll just ask him tomorrow!" She said honey sweet, then walked off as well, with her two lackeys close behind.

Orihime and Mikan sighed simultaneously, both their stomachs hurting from holding in their laughter.

"Let's go, Mikan." Orihime said.

"Grimmjow's really not that bad, is he?" Mikan said. If anyone would see that about Grimmjow too, it was Orihime.

"You know what? I don't think he is." She replied brightly.

The two girls headed home, not bothering to catch up with the boys. Mikan faintly wondered if they were getting along. She hoped they were. It would make their job of questioning Grimmjow a whole lot easier if he tolerated them. Besides, Mikan was pretty sure that was the only reason he was staying. To repay his debt to her.

But a small voice in the back of her mind, one that got pushed far away and locked in a box, wanted him to stay for different reasons.

**A/N: And the ball is set rolling! Grimmjow's quite the ladies man, wouldn't you agree? ;) Like, favorite, follow, review, {insert more shameless advertising} Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4: More than a Flesh Wound

**Sup peeps? Thanks for all the positive feedback, and as usual, enjoy the chapter ^_^**

**Chapter 4**

**Heal**

Grimmjow listened to the footsteps behind him. They belonged to Kurosaki, the Quincy, and the big silent one whose name he had yet to know. As if they weren't watching him close enough, now they had to follow him around? Grimmjow growled lightly, still sulking when he reached a sidewalk where he didn't know which way to turn.

Ichigo smirked, seeing the blue haired Espada suddenly stop walking. Speaking of which, was he even still an Espada? Maybe he had been banished from Las Noches, which in that case, was somewhat of a win- lose. There were still so many things he didn't know, and Ichigo had a feeling Urahara suspected more than he was letting on.

"You turn left for Urahara shop. Uryuu and I turn right here. I guess we'll see you tomorrow?" Ichigo prompted. Grimmjow didn't answer, just spun left on his heels and walked forth, ignoring Chad, who was headed the same way as well.

Ichigo scoffed and shook his head. "Man, what a jerk. I still can't believe Mikan and Urahara are letting him stay at their place. This whole situation is so bizarre."

"Speaking of her, don't you think that Mikan is getting a little _too_ friendly with Grimmjow? I mean, he's still the enemy. We don't know why he's here."

"Che, she's just too nice a person. Kind of like Orihime. Let's go, I'm beat, school really takes a lot out of me." Ichigo declared and stretched his arms, deflecting anything else the Quincy was going to say.

A ways behind Grimmjow and Chad, Orihime and Mikan waved goodbye to eachother, the two going different ways as well.

"See you tomorrow Mikan!" Orihime chimed, and waved a hand. Mikan smiled back and faced the direction the two guys had gone.

"Grimmjow! Chad, wait up!" Mikan called after them. The ever- so- silent Chad was momentarily surprised when the blue haired man actually stopped and stepped sideways, turning to the girl running their way.

"Hey thanks for waiting for me!" Mikan said happily, trying to catch her breath. Exercise hadn't been in her vocabulary before school, and now that it had started, it certainly wasn't going to change.

"Whatever." Grimmjow muttered and walked on. Chad was uncomfortably in between the two. He felt he should say something, but what? Anyways, it wasn't in his nature to suddenly strike up a conversation, and even if that happened, what was there to talk about? The one to his left was from a completely different world, not even the same species. The one to his right was from... an equally different world, in a different way. The silence continued, grating into the atmosphere, filling it with an awkward silence.

"So whatcha think about school, Grimmjow?" Mikan asked softly. To her, the question was a preamble, she would test the waters before diving in completely.

Grimmjow stayed silent for a moment, before deciding that, _just this once_, he would respond to the human girl. After all, he wasn't completely a heartless bastard, he still had his code of honor. And the girl was just so persistent and chatty, it bordered on annoying.

"Damn place. I don't see any logic having _me_ listen to that _human woman_. It makes me sick just thinking how she smelled." He growled, unconsciously wrinkling up his nose when he thought about Ms. Sato's sickeningly sweet perfume. Mikan looked at Grimmjow and giggled at his expression. It was silly, but she felt happy that he was talking. It was a significant improvement from the reluctance to talk when she had first spoken to him.

Chad glanced at Grimmjow to his left, then Mikan to his right, and decided it was probably best for him to leave.

"I guess I'll be going now."

"See you tomorrow!" Mikan called out to him as he crossed the street to his home. Grimmjow stared at the sidewalk. He had thought about the question before, and he was thinking about it again. What was he going to do? Going back to Hueco Mundo was out of the question. It was the very place that gave him the wounds that were bandaged up. If he stayed in the human world, though, would he continue living with the soul reapers?

He sighed. Things were a lot easier when all he had to do was walk around Las Noches and go out to crush hollows. All of the thinking and silent brooding he'd been doing since he woke up in that shop was giving him a migraine.

"Can I ask you something?" Mikan questioned. She felt like she needed his permission to talk, because no matter how strong Urahara's kido was, even she knew that the man next to her was very capable of crushing her little throat in an instant.

Grimmjow stayed silent, and Mikan took that as his reply to continue.

"What caused you to come here? Why did you leave Hueco Mundo?"

_Great_, he thought. Just when he didn't want to think about Hueco Mundo anymore, the girl had to bring it up. He could always ignore her, but...

"After I came back from fighting with that Kurosaki, that bastard Aizen cut me up real good for disobeying his shit orders. I hardly had any reason to stay after that."

He didn't know why he was telling her. It wasn't like the information could be used against him, and _au contraire_, it probably helped his case that he wasn't about to go blowing up buildings anytime soon.

Mikan stayed silent. It seemed a little rash on Aizen's part, for reprimanding an Espada so severely simply because of a broken order. Then again, Renji and Rukia were always saying how the ex- captain was a lying, psychotic, mad man, and many other things Mikan didn't feel like repeating. In any case, their point had been made. Aizen would go to any extent to establish his control and set an example.

"We're home!" Mikan shouted into the Urahara shop. She lazily flung her backpack into a corner and slipped off her shoes. Grimmjow tossed the school supplies onto the table and made a beeline for his room in the back of the shop.

Urahara poked his head out from around the corner, Yoruichi slinking around his legs in her cat form.

"Ah, Mikan, and Mr. Jeagerjaques, seems you guys made it back in one piece. How was school?" He asked, stepping aside to allow Grimmjow to slip away down the hallway.

"You seem happy today."

"Yeah. I talked with Grimmjow a bit today. He said Aizen was the one who inflicted those injuries on him."

"Interesting."

A moment of silence went by until Urahara, with Yoruichi trailing behind, walked past Mikan for a rare moment of tending to the front of the shop. That clog- wearing man was so strange it boggled _her_ mind wondering how _his_ worked.

The growling of her stomach brought her back to the world. First things first, she had to attend to the matter that was her love of food that never ceased to exist. Mikan rummaged through the pantry in the kitchen, pulling out a package of cookies. Another one of her loves.

Sighing with content, she flopped into one of the chairs and munched on one of the sweet pastries. The scenes earlier in the day replayed in her mind. Mikan stifled a laugh when she thought about the ever- so- popular Ayame being rejected by Grimmjow. If only she knew what he was... actually that would probably just turn her on even more.

She would ask the bluenette more about Hueco Mundo and Aizen later. She didn't want to push him and turn into a bother for him. Grimmjow was a valuable source of information, one that could mean the difference between losing and winning the Winter Showdown.

Mikan hesitated slightly before grabbing the package of cookies. Who knew? Maybe the merciless Espada (was he even one anymore?) had a sweet tooth. Her bare feet padded lightly down the hall, stopping just outside of his room. It was quiet. Perhaps he was asleep. Mikan raised her hand and brought her knuckles down on the door once, twice.

"Grimmjow? Can I come in?" She said softly. No answer. She twisted the doorknob and pushed it open, hearing the door creak giving her chills. Just like the night before.

The room was empty, the window open. He must've escaped through there, although Mikan preferred to assume that he had simply decided to take a stroll. The day was pleasantly nice, after all, maybe sunshine would do some good for him after the long dark nights at Hueco Mundo.

Mikan set the cookies on the bed next to her. _Grimmjow_... She liked his unusual blue hair, and his piercing cerulean eyes. His whole being exuded a sort of strength and power that had nothing to do with his toned muscles. A faint pink blush settled over her cheeks and she shook her head a couple times, ridding it of any more thoughts. Why was she being like this? Why was she being so foolish? One day, something would happen, whether that something be friend or foe, and he would go away. But the little seventeen year old could only explain the constricting in her heart as longing- longing for something out of the norm.

She wanted someone to hold her close and rest his chin against her head and she wanted someone to wrap his arms around her while they sat together in the park. She longed for someone to hold her hand when she was frightened, and for someone to kiss her tears away. Maybe it was the teenage hormones talking, but she wanted love.

Mikan just couldn't picture Grimmjow fitting into any one of the scenarios she thought about.

The sound of the door opening snapped her out of her daydreaming. A head of blue hair appeared first before the rest of his body entered the room.

"Oh, I was wondering where you were." Mikan said.

"I was out. What do you think you're doing here?" He snapped at her. Mikan forced a small smile on her face when she held the cookies out to him.

"Um. Ehehe, I just wondered if you were hungry so I brought you some cookies. They're sweet." The air got thicker and thicker with awkwardness as Mikan's outstretched arm was just that. Outstretched. He didn't take it and didn't seem to have the slightest interest.

"Tch. As if I'd want your shit food. Just beat it, human. I need to rest." There it was again. Him ordering her out of _his_ room, that technically belonged to _Urahara, _who was technically like her incredibly irresponsible, strange, go- with- the flow, father.

Mikan narrowed her eyes at his back when they passed each other. A light red stain on the back of his uniform suddenly brought her attention to it. Did Hanataro change his bandages? From the diagonal shape of the stain, it appeared he hadn't done so yet.

"Hey! You need someone to change your bandages! It looks like the cuts opened again." Mikan internally groaned. Looked like she was going to have to clean the blood out of his shirt after all. Gross. It wasn't like she could count on Urahara or Renji the moocher to do it.

"I can do it myself." Grimmjow said, trying to close the door on Mikan. Her eyebrows furrowed in determination and she stuck a foot in between the door to prevent it from closing all the way. She bit back a shout of pain when the door started crushing her foot. Damn that stupid bluenette- he was strong even in his gigai.

"Just let me fix them!" She hissed at him. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and just applied more pressure to the door.

Mikan tried prying the door open, finally getting a break from the losing battle when Grimmjow suddenly winced, a wave of pain coming over him. His injuries must've been more serious if just a tiny little muscle exertion like pushing a door was enough to make him wince. Mikan didn't want to do anything too against his will, but she also didn't want him to get an infection.

"Just let me see them. You need someone to change your bandages." She repeated, silently hoping the bluenette wouldn't just hit her into the wall. Narrowed blue eyes stared into her own for a moment before the pain on her foot diminished.

Grimmjow looked up at her through half- lidded eyes. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the bed and closed his eyes. Mikan's heart started thumping embarrassingly loud when he grabbed the neck of the uniform vest and pulled it over his head, exposing his bloodied bandages.

"Make it quick." He said simply. Mikan nodded. It wasn't like she was a trained professional in the field of medicine and healing, but she had seen Hanataro patch up Ichigo enough times to know the gist of how it was done.

"Stay here for a second. I'm going to go get some stuff." Mikan said and rushed out of the room to get rubbing alcohol and wet towels . She returned to find Grimmjow in the exact position she had left him in. His arms rested on his knees, making him look almost bored with the whole thing.

Mikan rested on the bed with her legs tucked under her. Up close, the the long cut from his lower back to his left shoulder looked a lot worse. In his gigai, the hollow hole in his abdomen was gone. Slowly peeling off a layer of white and red gauze, Mikan had to reach around him to continue wrapping. Her cheeks flushed at the close proximity she was with him, any closer and she'd be hugging him. Grimmjow had straightened out his arms so his hands were still resting on his knees, but it allowed Mikan more room around his chest. She was thankful for the act, it just made her job less intimate, although she doubted Grimmjow was thinking anything along those lines. It was just her and her perverted little mind.

Finally the bandage was gone, and all that was left was to clean up the mess and put on new layers of gauze. Mikan dipped the tip of a dry towel in the bottle of rubbing alcohol and cleaned around the wounds, wincing at the thought of the stinging sensation he must've been feeling.

Grimmjow's closed eyes flinched slightly at whatever the girl was using to treat his wounds. Sure, he had been part of the Espada, and yes, he'd received his share of pain in the past, but it didn't change the fact that the damp moisture on his back hurt like hell. It bothered him that the girl, what was her name again- Miko, Mila, Mikan?- was treating him like he was going to shatter into a million pieces if she applied anymore pressure.

"I'm not going to break if you used a little more force." He muttered and scoffed lightly. Humans.

Mikan nodded stupidly before realizing his eyes were closed and he wasn't facing her to begin with. She focused on rubbing the slightly smeared blood away, trying not to gag at the task at hand. Then again, she shouldn't be complaining, since she was the one who decided to do it in the first place.

Taking a clean layer of dressing, Mikan wrapped it around Grimmjow's back and over his left shoulder. It wasn't as neat as if Hanataro had done it, but it would do for now. Mikan put everything in a pile, wrapping the bloodied gauze with the towels, and got off the bed.

Grimmjow chose to leave his shirt off; he was just too lazy to put it back on, plus the action might open his wounds yet again. All the more reason he was starting to hate the human school with its stupid uniform.

Mikan didn't say anything to Grimmjow, who was still sitting on the bed with his eyes closed. He looked as if he were asleep, but she knew he wasn't. He hadn't said thank you either, but it hadn't exactly been expected of him anyways.

"You're welcome to join us for dinner in an hour or so. Um," Mikan stumbled, "yeah." She finished lamely, and opened the door with her foot and exited.

Grimmjow groaned and paced the length of the room with his hands in his pockets. Why was that girl treating him so, so _nicely_? It was the nicest anyone had ever been to him, minus Aizen with his deceivingly humble words. And look what happened to Grimmjow.

Was he going to join the strange, green coat- wearing man and whatever- the girl- was for dinner? Grimmjow had to admit, he was hungry, but he still had his pride. Then again, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He didn't _have_ anywhere to go. And as much as it pained him to admit (which he would never do to anyone), he was a bit curious in trying human food.

Grimmjow ran his hands through his hair, and again. The shady shop keeper had told him to only take off his gigai for an hour at most, to avoid any confrontation with the Soul Society and his spiritual pressure.

Reaching into pockets to pull out a fingerless glove, he stuffed it on a hand and smacked himself on the forehead with it and extracted himself from the gigai. It fell to the ground, Grimmjow not caring the slightest. A wicked grin graced his face as he carefully stretched. It felt good to be free of the damn prison called a gigai. Grimmjow glanced at the closed door before hoistering himself up and out of the window.

He had an hour to waste before he had to both get back in his gigai and join the humans for food. What was that girl doing with the Soul Reapers anyway? He couldn't sense anything remarkable about her barely- there spiritual pressure, so what was special about her? Nothing, as far as he could tell.

Grimmjow strolled down the streets of Karakura town, clad in his Espada uniform. For some reason, Urahara had requested for the Quincy to patch it up, so it reeked of the Quincy's spiritual pressure. He couldn't wait to find something else to wear, now that he wasn't an Espada anymore either.

Narrowed cerulean eyes swept across the surroundings, taking in the humans laughing, birds chirping, bright blue sky. It was practically the complete opposite of Hueco Mundo and its black, starless sky, plain sands that stretched on forever, and withering plants that weren't even really plants.

He'd had enough, the place was starting to bore him. There was nothing there for him to beat the shit out of, much less could even fight back. Maybe he should've just stayed in his gigai.

Grimmjow turned on his heels and headed back in the direction he came from, more troubling thoughts swirling in his mind. When the Winter War came, would he be on the side of the Soul Reapers? He was tolerating them for the time being, but they didn't make him want to fight for their side just yet. On the other hand, the idea of fighting for that bastard Aizen and alongside that freak Ulquiorra wasn't enticing either. This sucked.

When he jumped in through the window, the door was still a crack open, so he surmised no one had come to get him just yet. Making a face at the gigai on the floor, Grimmjow grudgingly went back in it again.

"Dinner's ready!" Called Mikan from the kitchen. Grimmjow hesitated before opening the door. He hated the feeling he was getting just then. The feeling of nervousness and even more pathetic, embarrassment. And what for? A stupid dinner. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily, reliving the moment when he had beat the living daylights out of Kurosaki. It made him a smile a toothy grin, and relieved some of the tension he was feeling.

To his surprise, and slight suspicion, it was just Mikan and Urahara seated at the table when he arrived.

"Everyone else already ate. We just wanted to ask you some questions so as not to get the others involved." Urahara said. Grimmjow took a seat across the table from the two, looking the rice balls in his plate with disinterest. So far, the meal had not exceeded his expectations, in terms of appeasement. Without waiting for another word from either of the two, Grimmjow stuffed a rice ball into his mouth, chewed a couple times, and swallowed, in a mere matter of seconds. He did it twice more, effectively cleaning his plate, and impatiently waiting for Urahara to speak again.

Mikan and Urahara looked at Grimmjow in amazament. The vicious bluenette had practically inhaled the food, with minimal swallowing. It was pretty incredible.

Urahara cleared his throat. "Anyways, could you tell us anything about Aizen's plans for the Winter War, or the Soul Society in general?"

"How the hell should I know? That two- faced son of a bitch never bothered to tell me anything. As if I cared, anyways, tch." Grimmjow spat out vehemently.

"I'm assuming from the way you're speaking about him, that you're no longer working for him?"

"Aizen can go to hell for all I care."

"That's good to hear." Urahara smiled, casually fanning himself, as if the conversation he was having was nothing more than a leisurely chat about the weather. "So what would you do if you had the chance to confront him?"

Grimmjow tightened his lips into a line. Deep, deep, _deep_, down, he knew he wasn't near strong enough to take Aizen down single- handedly. That ex- captain had barely gotten a scratch when the two had fought, for lack of a better word, whereas Grimmjow had been nearly fatally injured.

"I'll be damned before I let him kill me." He replied in a roundabout sort of way. Behind his fan, Urahara silently mulled over the new information. The ex- Sexta Espada could definitely prove to be an asset to their side in the upcoming Winter War if they played their cards right. As of right now though...

"Well, thank you for that. That's it for today." He said and stood up to leave. Mikan gave Grimmjow a small smile, which he returned with the usual glare before standing up to leave for his room as well.

Mikan watched the blue haired man walk away. Gathering his plate to wash it, the corners of her mouth lifted up in a small smile when she remembered the way he had eaten, like a vacuum. She would keep in mind for the future that he liked rice balls. She dried the plate off and walked to her room, where she closed the door and flopped down on her bed.

The sun outside had started to set, bathing the room in orange and red. In the quiet environment of her room, Mikan realized with a groan that there was still school tomorrow. She was starting to seriously hate the concept of waking up early to go to that wretched place. At least it was one thing she could agree with Grimmjow on. Without taking a shower or changing clothes, Mikan had lain down with one arm draped over her face. The day had been tiring, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

**A/N: A fast update! I tried writing a longer chapter, but hope it didn't seem to stretched out. Went for the classic "fell asleep" ending. Like, follow, favorite, review, {insert more shameless advertising} **


	5. Chapter 5: 6 vs 6

** Hey peeps, so I just discovered the line breaks (amateur I know :p) and have started to put them to good use! Also, warning: Kinda violent scene ahead. Idk. You be the judge of that. Here's chapter 5, enjoy :)**

**Chapter 5**

**Fight**

The next morning was just like the first. Mikan had gotten up and done her morning routine before rushing out the door with Grimmjow (who had been sulking around the door as usual) to school. The way there had been silent, no conversation had been made like the day before. Then, they went to class, and the first few hours went by fine. It was during the lunch break that things started going awry.

Mikan, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu were all sitting in a circle. Apparently, according to Ichigo, Renji and Rukia had already returned back to the Soul Sociey. Grimmjow had refused to respond to any of their invites to sit with the circle, so he stood nearby, leaning against the building.

A gentle breeze wafted by, causing tendrils of Mikan's hair to start attacking her face. She batted them away with slight annoyance, and when she put down her hand, she noticed a different expression was on the faces of her friends.

"A hollow." Ichigo said, immediately pressing his Substitute Soul Reaper badge to his chest, his body falling to the ground as if asleep. Clad in his Soul Reaper uniform, Ichigo bounded off in the direction of the hollow he had sensed, with Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad close behind.

"Wait for me guys!" Mikan yelled after them. She let out a sound of frustration. It was for this very reason that she wanted someone to accompany her; so she, too, could sense spiritual pressures. Obviously, her so called "bodyguard" didn't exactly suit the job if he had neglected to tell any of them a hollow had been nearby. Mikan didn't want to be a burden to them, but she didn't want to be left out either. She didn't have any other friends, having not attended school since she was four. She knew that she was...nothing special. Ordinary. And yet, she still wanted to be like her friends, and be able to protect them and her family with her own two hands.

"Why bother chasing after them? It's not like you'll help." Supportive and positive as usual. Angry, Mikan's head whipped around and she glared at the offending person.

"Excuse you! I may not have any supernatural powers, but I give my friends moral support!" Mikan harrumphed rather haughtily and was about to go running after her friends when suddenly an iron- grip on her wrist caused her to stop. The hand belonged to Grimmjow, who was looking away, not quite meeting her burning gaze.

"Forget it." The grip slackened slightly before Grimmjow retreated his hand completely. Mikan stared at him, mouth slightly ajar. He had only said two words, yet they caused more turmoil inside her than a whole speech. Her wrist tingled where he had touched it. Her touch clearly didn't have the same effect on him than his did on her.

Sighing deeply (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately), Mikan interlocked her fingers and placed them behind her head, trying to salvage the rest of the lunch break. Hopefully, the others would be back before long.

Grimmjow took a sideways glance at the girl. It was obvious she was downhearted now compared to a few minutes ago. Was it something he said? He blinked, then rethought that question. What the hell? Why should he care how she felt?

She didn't touch her food. Other students were starting to stare at the discarded lunches around her, whose owners were gone yet again. Last year, Ichigo, Orihime, Rukia, Chad, and Uryuu had been known for sudden group bathroom breaks, or a synchronized group run during lunch. It would appear this year would be no different.

"Hey! It's me again, sorry to be bothering you." Came the sugary voice of Ayame. Mikan had sat down, with her face buried in her arms. An amused smiled had begun to creep onto her face. Grimmjow looked at the tall redhead and her two companions with disinterest._ This could prove to be interesting,_ Mikan thought.

"You know, I really like your hair. It's pretty cool. Did you dye it yourself?"

"No." Mikan stifled a giggle at the stoic response. At least he was making an effort to even talk. Another improvement from the day before.

"Oh, so you went out to get it done?"

Grimmjow grunted for lack of a better response.

"Well anyways, I was just wondering," Ayame took a strand of auburn hair and wrapped it around her finger, "if maybe you were free this Saturday?" She looked at the ground before peeking at him through her eyelashes. Behind her, her two friends smirked and crossed their arms simultaneously. One was sporting a blonde pixie cut while the other had purple- streaked black hair in a high ponytail. The corners of Grimmjow's mouth turned out. They reminded him of Loly and Menoly- the two piss ants of Las Noches.

Ayame started tapping her toe, not happy at all about the fact that he _wasn't even looking at her_, and that he hadn't replied yes immediately. What was the problem? She had specifically worn the top buttons on the mandatory vest open, revealing her ample cleavage, and had hiked the skirt up a few inches, very nearly revealing things that were better left unrevealed.

Grimmjow's gaze shifted back to the redhead. His frown deepened before speaking again. "Sorry. Not interested." With that, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and went to stand near Mikan, who had buried her grinning face in her arms again.

Ayame's glossed top lip curled up in anger.

"And why not? Come _on_, it'll be fun! You can...you can even bring _her_ along too." Ayame said desperately. She just _had_ to spend time with the sexy bluenette. He was too cool and mysterious for anyone other than her to handle. And he certainly wasn't suited for the likes of someone like that newbie girl.

"Can't you take a hint? Quit pestering me or I'll kill you." Grimmjow threatened. That sure escalated quickly. A laugh escaped Mikan's lips and she slapped a hand over it. Ayame's eyes darted to the girl, and if looks could kill, Mikan would've been dead three times over.

"Ugh, you jerk!" Ayame screamed, attracting the concerned attention of the people nearby. "You're both freaks!" She accused, stabbing her manicured pointer finger between the two of them. "Let's go!" She snapped to her two lackeys, whom quickly scampered after her in her rage of being turned down yet again.

"Would you really have killed her?" Mikan asked curiously.

"Maybe."

"Your hair really is quite nice." Mikan blurted out. He stared at her, with a look she could not place. The familiar heat of a blush had already started its way onto her cheeks. Why was she always embarrassing herself? Couldn't she act cool around him for once? She felt like slowly sinking into the ground just then, when the timely arrival of her friends came.

Ichigo went back into his body, rubbing his head from where it had hit the ground. "Hey guys. Lunch over yet?"

Mikan shook her head just as the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. A look of depression came over Ichigo, who sadly packed up his half- eaten lunch. Mikan realized Grimmjow had barely eaten, wasn't he hungry?

The group followed the rest of the students back into the building where they took notes, with the exception being Grimmjow, and spent the remaining two hours of the school day.

* * *

On the way home, Grimmjow's steady walk suddenly stopped. Mikan looked at him quizzically, to find him staring off to the sky, where a thin black line had appeared.

Ichigo looked at the garganta with horror. "That's..."

As it opened, there was the familiar static-y sound. First, two white pant legs emerged, before revealing a single arrancar, with a face Grimmjow didn't recognize.

"Well hello there, Mr. _Sexta Espada. _Oops. I forgot," the slightly feminine stranger drawled out, "you're not part of the Espada anymore. My bad." He said without sounding sorry at all, really. Grimmjow's sharp blue eyes swept over the stranger's body, from the stupid pink diamonds on the left side of his forehead to the too- long sleeves. Surely when he himself had been Six, he had definitely pulled off his own uniform better, and looked the part better in general?

Grimmjow's blue eyebrows knit together with annoyance. He could feel the eyes of the humans on him, waiting for his response. "Who are you? And what the hell are you doing here?"

The purple- eyed arrancar laughed, one long sleeve in front of his mouth.

"Me? Why, I'm Espada number 6." He dragged down the right edge of his hakama, revealing a black tattooed six. "You can call me Luppi."

An icy feeling washed over Grimmjow and his glare intensified. He couldn't help thinking, as his fists clenched with the desire to punch a hole through Luppi, did Aizen really think this kid was at the same level as he was? Had he been replaced so readily?

"I was just sent here alone for the mere task of seeing if you were still alive and whatnot. Clearly, you managed to escape to the human world although," he gave a patronizing glance at his company, "I didn't expect the mighty Grimmjow Jeagerjaques to have fallen to such depths."

Grimmjow ground his teeth together and took out the fingerless glove in his pocket, and before anyone could react, he smacked himself in the forehead with it and dragged his body out of the confining gigai.

Mikan let out a sound of indignation when the gigai- Grimmjow suddenly fell backwards into her arms. Not knowing what to do with the body, she simply let it drop to the ground.

"Just stay out of this. I'll handle him." Grimmjow said without looking back. Luppi smiled and tilted his head at the approaching ex- Espada.

Ichigo clenched his teeth, his hand itching to grab his Substitute Soul Reaper badge and join the blue- haired bastard in the fight. However, he knew he would only get in the way.

"Mikan, Orihime, Chad, Uryuu- you guys should probably just go home. I'll stay behind in case anything happens." It was followed by many protests.

"Ichigo, I'll stay too! I can help in case-" Orhime started, cut off by a fierce look from him. Uryuu had already left, not particularly wanting to get caught up in all the Soul Reaper business. Chad looked at the two arrancars in the sky before making the better decision of grabbing both Mikan and Orihime's elbows, steering them away.

"No! Hey, I want to stay!" Mikan protested, jerking her arm from Chad. Orihime looked at her in surprise. The act of defiance was rare for the girl who usually just went- with- the- flow. Mikan's fierce look softened.

"Just... let me stay. Please. He's supposed to be under my watch after all, too." She stated, referring to Grimmjow. Ichigo sighed and cursed under his breath before nodding to Chad. Orihime stepped forward, holding one of Mikan's hands in both of her own.

"Please be safe, okay? Both of you. " Orihime looked at the sky, where the two arrancar had still yet to draw their swords. She and Chad walked away, leaving Ichigo and Mikan as the only spectators for the fight that was to come.

"Mikan, I don't really feel comfortable with you staying here."

"Why not? I can take care of myself." Mikan said, visibly bristling at the words.

"Th- that's not what I meant. We both know you can't...ya know..." Ichigo fidgeted, trying to put what he was thinking into words as nicely as possible. "I don't want you to be able to not protect yourself if something were to happen." He finally said.

"I'll be fine." Mikan said with a tone that clearly meant the discussion was over. It was time for the show to begin.

* * *

"Lord Aizen sent me here to tie up any loose ends in the event that you actually survived." Luppi gave him a fake smile, running his tongue over his lips. Grimmjow took his hands from his pockets and placed one on the hilt of his zanpakuto. Luppi didn't move, but Grimmjow noticed a gleam of alertness present in his eyes.

"I must say, you don't seem as intimidating as I'd thought. What do you think about me, though? A significant upgrade from the last Sexta Espada, wouldn't you agree?" Luppi chuckled.

"Don't you ever shut up? I think I've heard enough from that mouth of yours." Grimmjow growled, and drew his zanpakuto, aiming the point at Luppi's head. The current Sexta Espada narrowed his purple eyes, and simply placed a sleeve- covered hand on his own weapon.

"You don't think you can kill me, do you?"

"You're so pathetic." Grimmjow retorted, surprising Luppi when he suddenly appeared in front of him. There was a metallic clashing sound as their weapons ground against each other. Ripples of reiatsu exuded out from the connection, forcing Mikan and Ichigo to shield their faces from the strong and whipping wind. The two zanpakuto shook as one started overcoming the other. In terms of strength, Grimmjow had an advantage with his height and weight. He brought his sword up and crashed it against Luppi's again, forcing the other to take a defensive stance.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you!" Luppi spat out and turned one of his hands over, charging a red cero.

Grimmjow aimed for the charging hand with his zanpakuto before being blocked again. He sonidoed to Luppi's back and and slashed sideways, and to his irritation, was blocked away. Luppi smiled before raising his cero to Grimmjow's face.

"Bye bye!" He chimed and uncurled his fingers, not holding back as he blasted the red beam straight through the air.

Grimmjow cursed and let his zanpakuto take the full brunt of the force, holding his own as the red beam was split sideways. Before the smoke had the chance to clear, Grimmjow cut an "x" through it, charging straight at Luppi.

Luppi's eyes widened before he raised his sword up at the last minute, blocking Grimmjow's cut. _He had taken the the full force of my cero without so much as a scratch on him? The bastard..._ Luppi thought lividly.

The two zanpakuto clashed again and again, swinging through the air with a whistling sound. Below them, to Mikan especially, the figures were blurred into white, black, and blue, they were moving so fast.

"Wow," Mikan breathed, mezmorized at the level of fighting. And they were only ranked six...

Finally, Grimmjow caught a break when he swung upwards, slashing through Luppi's uniform and leaving a trail of blood from his tattoo six to his left shoulder. He stumbled backwards, clutching at his wound as black blood gushed out.

"Argh! How dare you..." Luppi seethed, murderous intent shining in his eyes. Grimmjow smirked at him, raising a hand to form a cero. Luppi leveled his zanpakuto at the former six, ready to take the cero.

Then, quicker than he could react, Grimmjow was behind him, his hands stuck straight through his opponent's back.

Mikan and Ichigo watched in horror as Grimmjow clenched his fist on the other side of the body, black arrancar blood dripping from it. It made sense because, why use your perfectly capable zanpakuto when you have your bare hand, right?

Luppi struggled to spit out his words as blood rose up his throat. He spluttered, twisting his head back with difficulty to look at Grimmjow. A wide, toothy, psychotic grin graced his face. To Mikan, it looked like even his hollow jaw was grinning that wicked grin.

The glow of a red cero illuminated Luppi's bloody face. Through clenched teeth, he managed to get out three words. No, not I love you.

"Grimmjow, you bastard." Luppi coughed, making Grimmjow move the body a further distance away from him so as not get hit the specks of blood that flew from Luppi's mouth.

"Damn right." Grimmjow aimed the cero at him. "Later, Mr. _Sexta Espada_," he mimicked the previous words with a slight sneer. A content feeling washed over him as he fired the beam, turning Luppi's upper body into ash. The remaining half of the body fell from Grimmjow's hand, falling to the ground below. He looked at his bloodied hand in disgust, making a mental note to wash it later.

"Y- you did it!" Mikan cheered from the sidelines. The cheering may have seemed stupid to Grimmjow, but she didn't care. She felt a mixture of emotions, from relieved, to slightly glad, to a twinge of pride that Grimmjow had come out of the scuffle safe, and with bare injuries to boot.

"I guess he didn't need my help after all." Ichigo admitted. On cue, the bluenette sonidoed down to them, hands stuffed back in pockets like nothing had happened. Of course, something had happened, Mikan could see a happy glow on his face that hadn't been there before the fight. It almost reminded her of his true fighting nature. Almost.

"That was just what I needed." Grimmjow said, flexing his hands. It occurred to Mikan that his hand was probably still dirty, but she honestly didn't care when he stuck his hands into his pockets.

"Aren't you going to put your gigai back on?" Mikan asked.

"Hell no. I'm not going back into that thing now. Besides, it hasn't been an hour yet." He said simply, slinging the gigai over his shoulder.

"Won't a floating body look a bit suspicious?" Mikan questioned with a hint of sarcasm. Ichigo merely shook his head in disbelief, bowing his head to hide the slight grin that had started to form on his face.

"At any rate, let's go. I trust you'll inform Urahara what happened?" Ichigo asked Mikan. She nodded, and they parted ways.

Mikan sighed and openly smiled, rushing to walk beside Grimmjow. She peeked up at him, noting the way the little blue hairs in the front of his head bounced with every step her took. Feeling her eyes on him, he glanced at her.

"What are you staring at me for?" He asked.

"I don't know." Mikan said. It was a half- lie. The bluenette looked at her sideways. Her dark hazel eyes were large, meeting his own blue ones. Grimmjow stared a moment longer before tearing his gaze away, grudgingly accepting her presence. A faint happiness bloomed inside Mikan as she walked next to the bluenette. The scene was almost perfect. Almost, because no matter what feelings had started residing in her heart, her mind couldn't stop thinking about the ruthless way in which Grimmjow had killed Luppi, and the content look that was on his face when he did.

**A/N: Not sure I really liked this chapter :p It was my first ever action scene o.O they're kinda hard. I've been posting pretty often so the next chapter might be up in a week or less so I can spend a little more time on it! As always, thanks for reading and if you really liked this, maybe like, favorite, follow, review? {insert more shameless advertising}**


	6. Chapter 6: Clash

**Hey peeps, here's chapter 6! Things are starting to happen... ;)**

**Chapter 6**

**Clash**

_Creek, creeeek, creeeek creeek, creeee-_

"Can you please stop that?" Mikan suddenly snapped at Grimmjow. The bluenette narrowed his eyes, but, for once, listened to her and stopped tipping his chair back. Mikan relaxed and sighed contently.

"You said he was alone?" Urahara asked the two.

"Yeah. He said his name was Luppi and that he was the sixth Espada." Mikan answered. "Do you think anymore of them will come?"

Urahara contemplated the idea behind his fan. If Aizen did send more Espada or even low- ranking arrancar after Grimmjow, it would prove to be a problem for both themselves in the human world and the Soul Reapers in the other. The high reiatsu would bound to catch the Soul Society's attention, and worst case scenario, they would all be put to death for harboring an enemy Espada. The only question was: why would Aizen go to such lengths simply to finish off one arrancar?

"I don't know. All we can do for now is keep our eyes open and be on the alert. You never know when the Winter War might turn into the Autumn War." He joked, not letting his words reflect his inner turmoil. Mikan rolled her eyes at his dry humor while Grimmjow wore his usual bored expression whenever he was called to one of Urahara's questioning sessions.

"By the way, Mikan, have you been doing your homework?" Urahara asked randomly. The girl blinked from being caught off- guard. "Uh, yeah? Why?"

"It ocurred to me that Mr. Jeagerjaques here probably isn't too familiar with things like homework, so I'm giving you the honorable task of completing it for him! Make sure he himself writes it out so the handwriting's not the same. " Urahara declared, laughing loudly before exiting the room in a hurry. Mikan's mouth opened in disbelief and slight suspicion on how he knew so much on the subject.

She rounded up on Grimmjow. "I'm _not_ doing your homework for you. You can learn to do it by yourself."

"I have no interest in filling out those meaningless pieces of paper. Remember," He jabbed a finger at her, "my only job was to watch over you. I didn't agree to anything else." He said.

"But I _really_ don't want to do your homework." She complained, knowing the whining sounded like a little three- year old kid who didn't get her toy.

"Then don't do it." He said simply, resting with his hands behind his head.

"_You'll_ just get detention, smart ass."

"I don't know what detention is, but I'll just kill it." Grimmjow said, baring his teeth at the wall. Mikan mentally rolled her eyes again. The majority of all his answers usually ended like that. It made her wonder if he actually intended to follow through his threatens, or if they were all bark and no bite. The more time Grimmjow spent with them, the more Mikan started to think that's how he really was. Or maybe in his case, all hiss and no scratch.

A laugh escaped her lips when the thought of Grimmjow as a cute, cuddly kitten entered her mind. The bluenette gave her a look of weariness, bordering on annoyance.

"Hey Grimmjow, you're resureccion is a cat, right?" She asked curiously, only to be met with an unexpected snarl.

"It's a panther, dammit!" He corrected. Mikan waved her hands in distress. "I mean a panther! Sorry." Really, she wasn't all that sorry. It was almost fun talking to Grimmjow, on the rare occasions he actually communicated with any of them besides glaring and scowling.

"What do you look like when you release your zanpakuto?" Mikan questioned like a curious child. Grimmjow raised a blue eyebrow at her.

"Why the hell do you want to know so much?" Mikan shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. I'm just curious, that's all."

Grimmjow looked at her for a moment longer before getting up out of the chair and leaving the room. Mikan sighed. She really had been curious about what Grimmjow looked like in his released form. Was he big and buff? Or lean and lithe? As much as she wanted to see his true form, she highly doubted he would willingly show it to her, lest he transformed in a fight, in which case Mikan hoped wouldn't happen. It would mean the person, or arrancar, he was fighting was strong.

"Better get started on homework." Mikan grumbled unhappily and unzipped her backpack with more force than necessary. Sighing, she pulled out two sheets of paper, first completing her own homework before copying the answers onto the other sheet in a messier scrawl, making sure not to make the l's and y's loopy like her own handwriting.

She felt slightly guilty for basically giving Grimmjow a free pass, but it wasn't exactly cheating if someone had told her to do it, right? His presence really was starting gnaw at her conscience, and she used to be such a good girl too...

* * *

Grimmjow paced the length of his room with his stands stuck in pockets. What was he going to do? Aizen had only sent one Espada this time, but how many, and more importantly, which ones, would he send next time? He was sure he could fend off any of the Espada ranked lower than he, and was fairly confident he could hold his own against Nnoitra (it was no contest between him and Ulquiorra- he'd cero that bat's brains out the second he touched the ground).

But then there was the woman- Harribel, and the giant oaf Barragan. Grimmjow wasn't too concerned about Starrk, since one: he highly doubted Aizen would send the Primero, and two: even if he did, he doubted even higher Starrk would actually voluntarily fight him. That lazy ass.

The day had gone by fast, with the sun starting to set. Mildly intrigued, although it didn't show on his face, Grimmjow faced the only window in his room, letting the sun's bright rays cast onto his face, creating a long black shadow behind his figure. In Hueco Mundo, there had only ever been the black, black night, with the same boring crescent moon, and the never- ending sands.

It was the one thing he hated more than anything else there. That place was so still and _dead_.

"Son of a bitch." Grimmjow blurted out loud. He had an inkling that he was starting to like the human world better than Hueco Mundo. Not that there was much to compare the human world to anyways. He hadn't particularly liked Las Noches, where that fox- faced ex- captain was always watching every corner of the place, where he had nothing to do but attend boring meetings and occasionally kill a hollow or two.

Now that he had put some thought to his previous and current living situations, he realized they weren't all that different.

There was a knock at the door. Grimmjow scoffed. With his luck it was probably the girl, but he opened the door anyway. And _ding, ding, ding_, he'd hit the jackpot.

"Hey, well I was just wondering, since tomorrow's Friday, this school week's only three days long, and I didn't think you'd have anything to do, but maybe you'd like to look around Karakura town, or something? And you never know, we might see a hollow, so you can brush up your fighting skills!" The words poured out of her mouth like a leaky faucet. It was only after she stopped talking that she inwardly cringed at how pathetic she sounded.

Grimmjow? Look around Karakura town? He used to be a freaking Espada, for crying out loud! What was she thinking? She must've gone out of her mind or something, her doctor's appointment should be coming up soon. It was a ludicrous idea, not to mention embarrassing, with her just standing there. Just because his recent attitude had taken a turn for the somewhat better, didn't particularly mean he wanted to be around any one of them, Mikan thought with a bitter after note.

"Are you going to start fucking crying or something? Man, you're pathetic." Grimmjow teased, a sneer on his face. Mikan hadn't even realized the tell- tale pinpricks of tears forming in her eyes. She blinked furiously, mentally willing them away.

"I am not crying! And you don't have to be a jerk about it, even if I am!" Mikan shouted, a feeling of deja vu coming over her. It was like their first walk to school. And just when she thought she couldn't inflict anymore self- embarrassment to herself.

Grimmjow scoffed and crossed her arms, leaning against the door frame. "So is that all you're coming here for?" He said in a voice clearly stating his answer was _no_. Mikan half- shrugged, not really wanting to go. "Can I just stay here?" She asked, already moving past him wit her arms up, reading to flop onto the bed, when...

"Someone's here." He announced, head turned to her, all signs of any previous playfulness gone. Mikan's eyes widened and she nodded, turning on her shoes to rush to tell Urahara. Chances were, though, if Grimmjow had sensed the visitor's presence, everyone else probably had as well. Were they arrancars? Or the Soul Society?

Mikan skidded to a stop in the front of the shop where Urahara and the other shop employees, Ururu, Jinta, and Tessai, were standing at the entrance, heads tilted towards the sky.

"We've got some major problem." Urahara said out loud, to no one in particular. Mikan blinked. "What do you mean? Who's here?"

"Arrancars. And," Mikan's heart picked up, "Soul Reapers." Her jaw dropped. How were they going to keep Grimmjow hidden with him and his love for fighting? If his spiritual pressure and hollow hole didn't give his identity away, she was sure the tattooed "six" or jawbone fragment would.

Though it was faint, a resonating crash sounded from somewhere in the distance. Mikan felt a slight tremble under her feet and ran up to Urahara, determined for answers.

"What do we do? You know that Grimmjow will go searching for the arrancar himself. Arrancar fighting arrancar! The Soul Reapers will know everything, Urahara!" Mikan rambled, her voice turning slightly desperate by the end. Urahara sighed and looked at her, the majority of his face hidden in the shadow of his hat.

"Go and get Grimmjow. He'll have to stay here, we can't risk him going out of his gigai and fighting other Espada. Ichigo and the others will be fine." He had barely concluded, and Mikan had already run to get the blue haired man. She turned the corner and rushed down the hallway to barge into the room, only to be met with Grimmjow's gigai laying on the floor.

Terror struck inside her and resonated throughout her body. What was that idiot thinking?! He was going to get himself killed and the rest of them would soon follow! He had just been on the brinks of death a mere three days ago, was that not short enough for him?

"He's already gone!" Mikan screamed to Urahara, hoping her voice had reached to the front of the shop. Then, against her better judgement, she hoisted herself up to the windowsill and slipped through the already- open window.

Once out, she just followed the direction the noise was coming from. It was times like this that she wished she knew how to sense spirit energy better. All she could feel were the tiny pinpricks of many, some she could recognize like Ichigo's and Grimmjow's, and others she couldn't, like the icy cold one.

She ran down the streets, ignoring the looks of passersby. She didn't put much thought into what she would do _after_ she got to the scene, she just had to get there. Get there, and explain things to the Soul Reapers. Get there, and make sure Ichigo was alright. Get there, and make sure Grimmjow was safe.

When Mikan had gotten closer to a clearing in the forest, she started noticing things. Like, bodies laying around. They didn't seem to be breathing, and they didn't seem to be sporting any injuries either. She cautiously walked past them, towards the area where she could feel a heavy, suffocating reiatsu.

_You don't belong here,_ Mikan thought as she peeked around a tree. The ringing clashes of zanpakuto filled the air, along with the occasional battle cry. There seemed to be three Soul Reapers fighting one white- and- black- clad arrancar, and in a seperate battle, a shorter, white- haired, Soul Reaper fighting another arrancar. Upon closer speculation, Mikan saw with a start that the little shortie was sporting the white captain's haori. What was a captain doing in the World of the Living?

Mikan turned around and slid down the tree, letting out a . She had yet to see Grimmjow and Ichigo, which meant they were probably so far up in the sky she couldn't see them. Were their adversaries strong? Who was winning? Midst the total chaos, she balled up her hands and rested her forehead on her knees. Too many thoughts were swirling inside her mind, like a water balloon about to explode.

Then, right in front of her eyes, a projectile crashed into the ground. A scream escaped Mikan, whose heart leaped into her throat as well, cutting off the rest of the yell. Her eyes shut tight, arms coming up to protect her face from the billowing dust and flying dirt everywhere. Turning around, she used the trunk of the tree to pull herself up and around it, using it as a shield.

_Is it Grimmjow?_ Mikan wondered. Her heart gave a lurch when the silhouette of a figure emerged from the smoke screen. There was a flash of blue before Grimmjow stumbled out of the crater. Besides a few cuts and a burn on his right arm, he appeared fine. More than fine, really, because he was grinning the psychotic toothy grin of his, showing off his pointed canines.

"Grimmjow!" Mikan shouted, half wanting to run up to him- half wanting to stay put. It seemed her feet were thinking the latter, as they stayed planted on the ground, refusing to budge.

"Take that, Ulquiorra you bastard!" He sneered at the sky before sweeping his piercing eyes to Mikan. The corners of his grin retreated and turned down, his eyebrows knitting together in his usual scowl. "What the fuck do you think you're doing here? You could've gotten yourself killed! Do ya wanna die so badly?" Grimmjow snapped at the girl, and sonidoed to her side. Anger masked the concern in his blue eyes and he stared intently at Mikan.

"I just wanted to see if you guys were ok!" Mikan said defensively, even daring to place both her hands on his shoulders and pushed as hard as she could. Unfortunately for her, Grimmjow didn't budge, and the only thing she did achieve was making herself topple backwards. A firm hand encased her shoulder, steadying her. Mikan's bottom lip stuck out in a childish way and she did the only mature thing- stick out her tongue.

Mikan flinched when Grimmjow raised his hand, only to simply flick her in the forehead. "You dumbass. Why did you come here all by yourself?" He reiterated his question. Mikan sighed and her looked softened. She dug her oxfords into the ground, twisting the foot around and creating a small hole. "Is it against the law for me to see if my friends are ok? Besides, you were the dumbass who ran off without telling us!' Mikan said hotly.

"So is Ulquiorra dead? Did you... kill him?" She asked tentatively. She remembered the green- eyed Espada and his bulky companion from the first time they came to Karakura town. Ichigo had been in a slump and depressed after they had fought.

"No. I only trapped that freak in a caja negación. It's not meant for Espada, though, so he'll break free in a few hours," Grimmjow paused before adding, "and go running to Las Noches with his tail between his legs no doubt." He finished with a smirk. Mikan didn't really know what he was talking about, but it seemed to her that Ulquiorra had been... sent somewhere. And that was good enough for her.

"Grimmjow, let's go. We need to get you back in your gigai, or the people from the Soul Society will notice, if they haven't already!" Mikan pleaded, The blue- haired took one look at her, then back at the scenes of fighting above them. Mikan's hazel eyes started glistening with, tears? Grimmjow looked at her, tongue- tied as she started sniffling. The tug of guilt inside him was what did the trick.

Placing his hands on her shoulder and spinning her around, he steered her away from the fighting. "Fine, fine! Just quit your damn crying, it's annoying." He grumbled, and without warning, sonidoed the two of them back to Urahara shop.

Mikan cried out in surprise when suddenly her footing gave way during the sonido, only to be placed back on firm ground. Swaying , she attempted to regain her footing, and did her best to hide the victorious grin on her face as she wiped the faux- tears away. It had almost been too easy; Grimmjow really was starting to turn into a big softie, although he would never in a thousand years admit it.

When she turned around, he had already changed into his gigai. He looked less than happy about it, though, with his intense glare and scowl back on. Mikan gave him a lopsided grin and jumped onto the bed.

"I guess we'll just have to wait the fighting out! Aren't you glad we left all that danger behind?" Mikan teased, eliciting an ill- tempered growl from him. "The only thing I'm worried about is if the number of arrancars the Soul Society detected. If they suddenly realize one of them's no longer there, what do you think they will do?" Mikan asked. Grimmjow sighed exasperatedly and sat down on the floor.

"How should I know?"

"Yeah, no surprise there." Mikan muttered.

"Hey!" Grimmjow shouted, his bottom lip threatening to pout. Mikan could almost have ooh-ed and aaw-ed at his face, but decided against it. It would've been too big a a hit for his ego and pride.

The moment felt like there _weren't_ Espada- level arrancars in their vicinity, and the Soul Society_ hadn't_ sent a captain to the World of the Living. It seemed Ichigo and who- knew- who- else wasn't fighting the enemy, and everything was almost perrfect as Mikan laid on her stomach and stole glances at Grimmjow.

Almost, because then Urahara flung the door open and said, "The Soul Society's somehow noticed Grimmjow. They're sending someone to question us in two days time."

**A/N: That was my first cliffhanger hur hur hur ^_^ sorry if you waited all this time hoping for something, and got this instead. I was just having a little trouble sorting out the plans for this story, but now (hopefully) it's all good! So like, review, favorite, follow this story and I'll be your friend {insert more shameless advertising} Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7: Fight or Flight?

**Sorry peeps for the wait. Idk about you guys, but my patience is so short, four- day long waits are already a stretch for me. But anyways, enjoy chapter 7 :)**

**(Probably should've put this earlier) Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach... never did, never will**

**Chapter** **7**

**Flight**

Grimmjow leapt up from his casual position on the floor. "_What_? So they're here to kill me after all?" He accused. Urahara tapped his closed fan against the door frame with one hand on his chin.

"How did they put it? Something like... the detection of an arrancar has been located in your vicinity for more than 24 hours and has not been removed. I'm guessing they were keeping tabs on us after Grimmjow had his fight with Luppi, and assumed something was up when one of the two arrancar spiritual pressures was still there. Still," Urahara wondered out loud, more to himself than the other two, "Grimmjow returned to his gigai. Wouldn't his spiritual pressure have vanished?"

Grimmjow groaned out loud and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. He knew from the moment he woke up in the back of the shady shop keeper's store that life on the run was going to be tough. Run from what though? Aizen? Soul Society? It didn't matter who or what his new enemy was, Grimmjow was still the same. He would rather die than give up without a proper fight.

"Why don't we just tweak the story a bit?" Mikan chirped up from the bed. She hugged the pillow tightly and nodded slowly as the gears in her head started turning. "Don't worry, Grimmjow, you'll be safe here!" He scoffed and looked at the ground. "As if I would worry about that."

Urahara hit the closed fan onto the palm of his hand. "Right then, I have an idea. Mr. Jeagerjaques, when the representative comes, you just act as the unsuspecting, innocent human. It'll be convincing enough if I recast that sealing kido I placed on you." Before he left, he turned over his shoulder and said, "Did you notice, by the way? I loosened the kido yesterday. Good thing I did, since you met an Espada that day too." And then he left.

Grimmjow's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He _had_ noticed during the fight that there was no longer as strong a restriction on his spiritual pressure than when the kido was first placed. Before, he had thought it was because the clog- wearing bastard's powers weren't all that after all. Did the shop keeper trust him, then? Enough to practically let him loose without a damp cloth on his powers?

Mikan rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Hey, Grimmjow." He grunted. "Are you going to stay here? I mean, will you fight with us during the Winter War?" His mouth tightened into a grim little line and he brushed the topic off with, "Who cares? I'll figure it out when the time comes."

Mikan deadpanned. "Wow, that's not vague at all." She grabbed the pillow from under her head and lazily chucked it in the general direction of Grimmjow. It landed harmlessly next to the door, a foot away from Grimmjow. He raised a blue eyebrow.

"You know your aim sucks, right?"

"Just hush up." Mikan retorted, an angry blush already starting to make its way onto her cheeks. Grimmjow let out a bark of a laugh. "'Hush up?' I didn't peg you for someone who used phrases like that." He said, unconsciously starting to grin.

Mikan flipped onto her stomach and glared at the offending bluenette. "Yeah? Well, I didn't peg you for someone th- that, ya know... was... a big jerk!" She finished lamely, unable to think of a witty retort. Grimmjow returned her stare, unimpressed with the comeback.

"Whatever. Shouldn't you be a little more concerned for your buddy, 'lil Kurosaki?" Grimmjow said. Mikan rolled her eyes and got off the bed, making sure her skirt hadn't ridden up too much.

"Not really. I know Ichigo will be okay. It seems no matter how much he gets cut up, he always manages to emerge victorious. It's just one of his quirks, I guess." Mikan shrugged. The corners of Grimmjow's mouth turned down, and he fought the urge to scoff. It was true enough, all right. Even when he was getting kicked around like a rag doll by Grimmjow, that bastard had still gotten up to fight him. A thin smile crept onto Grimmjow's face when he remembered how good it felt to send Kurosaki somersaulting through the air like a human Ferris wheel.

Not that anyone would let him do it a second time. It was a pity, really, because Grimmjow almost felt like giving up on challenging the orange- head to another fight. Almost.

Trying to distract himself from that thought, he started hitting the back of his head against the wall behind it. Mikan looked at him in question.

"So what do you pathetic humans do to kill the time?" Grimmjow asked casually, really not all that curious. On the other hand, Mikan visibly brightened, a wide smile gracing her face. She mentally took a deep breath and calmed down, deciding it wasn't quite appropriate to suddenly spaz out and start dancing simply because Grimmjow asked a question.

"We'll have to wait until the fight's over... but maybe we can sneak past Urahara and the others if we're careful!" Mikan said excitedly. There were so many places in Karakura town she wanted to show him. Perhaps if he witnessed some of the pleasures the World of the Living had to offer, he wouldn't be so grouchy and would even come to appreciate humans and their world a little more.

But that was just her being optimistic.

"There are plenty of things to do in Karakura- I know you'd like them if you put a little effort into having fun!" Mikan said, slowly breaking through his protective layer of _Extreme Disinterest_ and making her way to his second layer of _Slight Disinterest_. She didn't want to coax him into doing things he clearly had no interest in, though. It would make the whole trip pointless if all he did was walk and glare at anything that crossed his path.

Before she could turn down the offer, the bluenette pushed off the wall using his shoulders and grabbed her wrist in a vice- like grip. "Let's go. Anything's better than staying in this shit hole."

Mikan's eyebrows shot into her hairline at the sudden move. The all- too- familiar heat of a blush was already making its move across the back of her neck and face. "I- I live in that shit hole, ya know!" She said defensively, parroting his words. The hold on her wrist was released, and she realized he had been leading her down the hallway like a lost puppy.

"You sure a little girl like yourself should be saying bad words like that?" He snickered without looking back. Mikan picked up her pace, stepping in front of him and successfully taking charge of their trek. She plastered her back against the edge of the wall, feeling like quite the spy. Whipping her head around the corner, she nodded once and made a _go ahead_ signal with her hand.

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at her actions and casually strolled through the shop, the heel of his shoes occasionally skidding across the ground. Behind him, Mikan deadpanned, all her ninja moves gone to waste. She chased after him, jumping into place next to him.

"I'm not some little girl. I can take care of myself." She said a moment later. Grimmjow plowed on ahead, kicking open the doors of Urahara shop and into the bright sunlight. The streets were fairly busy, with cars whizzing by and people walking up and down the sidewalks. As they passed Mikan and Grimmjow, some sneaking a glance at the latter's unusual hair color and eye markings, while others stared openly at them.

Grimmjow returned them with looks of disregard, annoyance and distrust lodged clearly in his eyes. Noticing his hostile look, Mikan quickly started up another conversation attempt.

"Let's go to the park. Maybe if you're lucky we'll see a hollow there! Then you can stretch out your powers with it, huh?" Mikan said cheerfully, her sentence interrupted only by a faint boom. She inwardly cringed, incredulous at how long the fight was lasting. Weren't the synergistic efforts of both Ichigo and the Soul Reapers enough? There was a captain there, for crying out loud.

"Wouldn't that be fucking barbaric? Does that count as killing my own kind?" Grimmjow asked, genuinely distraught. He really didn't give a damn for the well being of other hollows, fellow or not. It was just a thought that had suddenly occurred to him.

Mikan shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. Your a vasto lorde though, and there should only be menos- leveled hollows here. So it's two different things, right?"

"Sure." He replied offhandedly. A little boy, no older than three, with dark brown hand was looking at him. The hand holding his mother's tugged, and the free hand pointed at Grimmjow's head.

"Mommy, wook at that man's bwoo hair." Grimmjow paused, stopping Mikan with him. She cocked her head to the side, grinning at the cute little kid.

"Sweetie, it's not nice to point at people." The mother said, covering the little boy's raised hand. Glancing at Grimmjow, she smiled apologetically. "Sorry." She said, trying to tug along the boy who had his feet planted into the ground, mouth wide open, as if he wanted to eat the cotton- candy colored hair.

As one of Grimmjow's hands left its usual dwelling in his pocket, Mikan thought for a second he was going to smack the child into the high heavens. Instead, he took her completely by surprise as he did the opposite.

His open hand rested firmly on the brown locks, nearly covering all of the little boy's head. "Listen to your mom, ok kid?" He said. The boy stared a moment longer before twisting his little mouth into a crooked grin, jumping up and down and bobbing his head. He ducked out from under Grimmjow's hand and raced to his mother's side, only looking back once to sneak one last peak at the strange bluenette.

Mikan socffed, her lips spreading into an incredulous smile. Walking again, she said, "I can't believe you did that. You aren't as tough and badass as everyone thinks." Poking his arm, she noted it was firm with muscle, she added, "Don't tell me you have a soft spot for kids!" He didn't answer right away with a snarky retort, opting to kick a pebble out of his way instead.

Gleeful laughter escaped her lips when Grimmjow angrily stuffed his hand back into his pocket, scoffing and muttering something along the lines of, "fucking idiot," and, "as if."

His murmurs came to an end when Mikan boldly grabbed his wrist, just like he'd done to her. Only this time, the action was more than just a guide. Mikan was quite sure Grimmjow didn't reciprocate her feelings towards him one bit, but she just couldn't help herself. It wasn't just about his looks, either, although it didn't help that his hair always managed to look tousled and oh- so- soft, and the teal marks under his cyan orbs crinkled every time he let out that psychotic laugh of his. Perhaps there was no explanation behind her affection for him, since just his presence was enough to feed her happiness.

"L- let's go to the park." Mikan stuttered, mentally cursing herself for doing so. The good news was, Grimmjow had made no move to wrestle his wrist from Mikan's weak grip. Trying to ignore her rising hopes, she focused her thoughts on the reason being because he assumed she was just leading him to the destination, which was what he had done before.

Slightly behind her, Grimmjow arched an eyebrow. He had noticed the girl always seemed overly happy whenever she was around, but guessed it was just the way she was.

But then why was he allowing her to drag him around like some helpless child? And why hadn't he cussed her out to tears when she accused him of a so- called weak spot for children? Which, for the record, he definitely did not have. It was bullshit just to think he had a weak spot.

A hand came up to lazily wave a fly away from his face. Another thing about this world he had come to realize, the less sun there was, the more annoying pests there were outside. The pests referred to as in bugs, although Grimmjow did warily glance at some of the dark alleys next to them.

Mikan wanted to shift her grip into a more comfortable hold so she didn't seem too restricting, but was afraid it would just turn the air between them awkward and that he would break away. It came as almost a relief when the park came into view, Mikan making a beeline straight for the swings. She hopped into one, a rush of nostalgia coming over her as she swung her legs back and forth like a little kid. The park had just the two of them with the night fast approaching. The sun behind Mikan cast a long shadow in front of her, engulfing Grimmjow, who was standing in front of her and in her shadow.

"Is this supposed to be fun?" He said in a bored voice. Mikan scoffed lightly, but couldn't help as a corner of her mouth twitched up. She'd almost forgotten the whole reason for bringing Grimmjow out. "Why don't you hop on the swings with me? _That'll_ be fun."

"As fucking if. Sorry, little girl, but that kid back there was a one- time thing. I ain't getting on what of these dumbass human contraptions." He said, casting a glance of disdain at one of the harmless swings.

Mikan tilted her head back and laughed. Closing her eyes while swinging like a pendulum made her feel dizzy, but gave her a weightless sensation. Her long hair swished with her every upward and downward swing, and she laughed, just feeling so_ happy_. She almost questioned herself, wondering if she was high as the moon, because the feeling of euphoria was definitely not normal, although it was probably heightened because of Grimmjow's presence, even though he hadn't said anything remarkably funny.

He didn't say anything, either, when the metal chains of her swings were suddenly jerked into place, taking her off balance and painfully throwing her off the seat. Mikan instinctively held her hands out in front of her, which turned out to be the wrong decision as the left one took the brunt of the fall and made a loud cracking noise when the back of it met the ground, smashing the hand down.

"Grimmjow!" Mikan called, cradling her injured wrist. To think, nearly an hour before it had been in the aforementioned's hand. Now, it was surely sprained, if not broken. Tears sprung to her eyes and slid down her face from the throbbing pain the wrist was emitting. The adrenaline from the shock of falling had diminished, leaving the area feeling like a fire was licking at her bones. It was so great, Mikan didn't even realize the presence of more than just Grimmjow.

_Where was he anyway? _Was Mikan's thought before something cold was pushed to her right temple. Her cries faltered for a second, her breath hitching in her throat when she realized with a pang of terror that the dark blanket of night was stretched over the skies. Had the sun really gone that fast?

A gruff voice came from behind the pressure on her temple. "Reach inta yer pockets an' give us everytin' ya guys got or dis chick's gon' have a bullet through her head."

A loud sob escaped Mikan upon hearing the threat that she knew was far from empty. Daring to turn her head the tiniest fraction of an inch to the left, she spotted Grimmjow, still standing casually with his hands in his pockets even with three people trapping him with Mikan. From the corner of her eye she could see another person behind her, making it five men in total. Judging by their haggard clothes and sneers of contempt, they were probably nothing more than petty muggers.

_Petty muggers with guns_, Mikan thought with her heart pounding painfully tight in her chest. She hadn't brought anything with her either, not even her phone. Could Grimmjow get out of his gigai? If so, he would invisible to them, and they would just think he fainted or something...

"Ya hear me?! I said give us everytin' ya got or else I'm gon' shoot this girl's brains onta da ground!" The gruff voice yelled into Mikan's ear. Trembling, she momentarily met Grimmjow's eye before slowly reaching into her empty pocket. In the dark, the glint of his eyes gave away nothing as to what he was going to do.

Mikan bit the inside of her cheek, tasting the bitter taste of metal when she bit too hard. She tried to move as slowly as possible, her hopes pinned on Grimmjow somehow realizing these people weren't there to play, and that he'd better go kick- ass on them pretty soon.

_Unless he doesn't care what'll happen to you..._ a voice whispered in her mind. It was the worse- case scenario for her. It was a life- death situation, with the location of her brain being the center of matter. If he didn't care, the full blow of actual dying came to her, she was going to be murdered at a point- blank range.

Faster than she noticed, Grimmjow had already pulled on a familiar glove with a skull- insignia on the back of it. The gang members surrounding him made a move when his gigai suddenly fell pitched forward, landing in a heap. Mikan's breathing became erratic when the man behind the trigger of the gun resting on her head made a noise like a scoff. She imagined his fingers would be curling around the trigger, and not even Grimmjow's sonido would be able to catch the bullet when it wasn't even a centimeter away from its target...

Her eyes screwed shut when the pressure of the barrel slackened, the pistol falling to the ground with a loud clatter. Mikan stared in shock at the dark substance- covered tip of the sword protruding from the gang leader's chest, right where his heart was. His lifeless eyes stared at her, wide in his last moment of surprise. The place of the sword tip was replaced with gushing blood, lightly spraying Mikan's fore arm, which was raised at the last minute.

Upon seeing one of their own killed by seemingly nothing, the rest of the gang tried to make a run for it.

"Cowards." Grimmjow growled to Mikan's left. She jumped at his sudden appearance, which was gone once more. Screams of agony filled the otherwise silent night, along with the faint whistle of a sword cutting through the air. Although she knew she was being saved, Mikan whimpered when she heard the thump of bodies on the ground.

She didn't have to look to know it was Grimmjow when the familiar sound of a sonido filled the silence next to her. Then there was just silence, and the hiccup that came every so often. The stabbing internal pain that had been coming from her limp wrist had now subsided to a dull ache, although the slightest move would set the injury aflame again.

Grimmjow sheathed _Pantera_, he had wiped it clean with one of the sons of bitches' shirt, and had gotten back in his gigai. While he was doing this, he had sent cursory glances at the girl, who was knelt on both knees, hands resting in front of her. He knew one of them was broken, he had heard it when the bone broke. Thinking about the piece of shit that thought it was so clever and strong when it had yanked the swing chains in place made his blood boil. He didn't know why, but the sight of gang leader having the nerve to threaten to kill the girl in cold blood made him so furious. He wanted to scream at him to shut the fuck up and then proceed to rip his throat straight out. Even before the thugs had made their move, he could sense their dirt- low reiatsu, coming in closer from all directions. Of course, it wasn't until later that he realized they were just one of the many delights the World of the Living had to offer.

His favorite part was when _Pantera_ had pierced the heart of the trash that had been holding the object, whatever it was about it that had terrified the girl so much.

Speaking of the girl, she still had not moved. Grimmjow quirked an eyebrow and planted his ass next to her.

"You ok?" It was a stupid question. Even he could tell she wasn't. But somehow, laughing and calling her a weakling didn't seem right either.

_Sniff_. "No." It was an expected answer.

The silence felt awkward to Grimmjow. It was out of character for him to be comforting the traumatized girl, even though he wasn't really doing anything. Even in Las Noches, he had never had a problem speaking his mind. In the current situation, however, he had to bite his tongue to prevent the curse words from spilling out.

"Come on Mikan. Let's go home." Grimmjow said, realizing when the word rolled off his tongue that it was the first time he'd used it. And when said girl made no move to get up, he sighed, took her in his arms, and got up.

* * *

The walk back to Urahara shop was silent, and halfway there Grimmjow suspected the girl had fallen asleep. Her head rested on his chest, and her arms were folded on her stomach, the left one on top of the right. His suspicions were confirmed when her breathing suddenly became slower and deeper, and when he glanced down, he saw lidded eyes instead of open ones.

What the fuck was this world doing to him? He, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, reduced to carrying girls home? If any of the other Espada ever got wind of it, they would most certainly stop to give him a sarcastic applause and laugh up a storm. Except maybe Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow's eyes swept over Mikan's features, actually taking the time to observe her looks. Her eyelashes weren't overly thick, like Harribel's, but were long and dark against her cheeks. Her nose was small, but straight and had a regal look to it. And then there were her lips, looking oh- so- soft and plush. Definitely kissable.

He blinked out of his thoughts, pausing in a half- step. Shaking his head vigorously, Grimmjow continued home, purposely not looking at Mikan again until he reached Urahara shop. The shop keeper had looked up in surprise when he had softly opened and closed the door with his foot. For once Urahara looked speechless- his usual coyness gone when he noticed the angle Mikan's wrist was in.

"I'll call Orihime." He had said, and without another word, exited the room to dial the healer's number.

Grimmjow quietly walked down the hallway to Mikan's room, making sure she didn't wake up. Now that would prove to be an awkward situation. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she suddenly came to. Did girls want to talk about their feelings after being almost killed? Or did they want time alone? Women were so confusing.

With gentleness he didn't know he had, he placed Mikan on her bed, substituting a pillow for hid chest and throwing the blanket over her. Grimmjow looked at her sleeping face with a look of utter confusion on his own. Why was he doing so much for the little brat? _Why? _The one word and question made him want to tear his hair out and beat someone up. Whatever was going on inside his mind, he knew it was bad. It wasn't like he cared about what happened to the Soul Reapers, but he did promise the shop keeper that he would watch over the girl. But how could he when he lived for destruction, symbolized it? He had _enjoyed_ running his blade through the thugs earlier.

Grimmjow tore his gaze away from Mikan and headed to his own quarters, slight unease settling in his stomach. As soon as he left the room, a low growl escaped his clenched teeth. He had never asked for the job of bodyguard, anyways. It wasn't like he had a say in the matter.

But if only he knew what was to come, he would've fought a lot damn stronger.

**A/N: Ooo, suspense! Heehee, hope you guys liked that Grimmjow fluff scene, not too sure I did myself :\ well, review, like, follow, fav, and as always. thanks for reading! {insert more shameless advertising}**


	8. Chapter 8: Truth

**Was SO angry with this chapter -_- I was happily writing through half of the chapter when I accidentally pressed the backspace like a dumbass and it went to the previous page, which meant ALL MY WORK WAS FUCKING DELETED. This was going to be longer but then I got lazy :( Sorry guys. So angry at myself. Enjoy the chapter :\**

**Chapter 8**

**Truth**

The first thing Mikan noticed when she finally woke up and lifted her head was her alarm clock. And how it was nearly noon. And it hadn't gone off. And she had school.

Her head fell back onto the pillow with a heavy sigh. Eyes still closed, her mind raced back to last night's events. She had remembered falling, the gun, Grimmjow, blood... Mikan cracked an eye open and looked at her right arm where the blood of the gang leader had splattered. There was nothing there, and what more, her left wrist wasn't having an internal party anymore, which led her to believe Orihime must have healed and thus reversed what had happened. Mikan owed her big time.

But the soft pillow under her head and warm blanket over her was definitely not the cold ground of the park. How had she gotten home? Had... Grimmjow carried her?

The thought was crazy; why would Grimmjow _willingly_ carry her? And _tuck her in_? Forget about the former Espada going soft, that was like the Twilight Zone for him. Definitely wasn't him who put her to bed. It must have been Urahara. Speaking of whom...

"Urahara!" Mikan yelled, too lazy to physically get up to get the man's attention. A moment later, the sound of footsteps grew closer outside her door, until the hat- donned mat finally arrived.

"You called?"

"Uh yeah, one question. Why didn't anyone wake me up for school?" Mikan asked with a bit more of a bite than she intended.

"You don't seem too upset about it." He replied with the usual cheeky answer. She half- grinned, letting her facade fall. "Yeah, well, I was just wondering why. You know I hate school, don't you?"

Urahara sighed dramatically before placing a hand on his hat. "You don't need to tell me that twice. And my reason's quite simple, I figured you had a rough night after Mr. Jeagerjaques next door carried you home with a broken wrist and blood splattered on the other. Just promise me one thing," he added after seeing Mikan's shocked face, "tell me when you're going out next time. Did you forgot that investigator's coming today? Better keep our blue- haired guest in check." He said, and left.

Mikan sat up and digested the new information she just heard. So Grimmjow _had_ brought her home after all- the teenage girl part of her leaped in joy and wanted to practically smother herself with cotton balls. The other, _more mature_, part of her refrained from doing so, and grudgingly got up to get ready for the day that she already knew was going to be spent doing nothing.

Opting for baggy grey sweatpants and a simple floral T- shirt, the two articles of clothing clashing terribly, for the record, Mikan left her hair alone and brushed her teeth in the bathroom across her room. The door was closed, but was slightly cracked open. Mikan was a minute into her brushing when it suddenly swung open, coming into contact with her arm and making a sound like a slab of raw meat being slapped.

"Ow!" She shouted, mouth full of foam. A head of blue hair poked in, almost making Mikan forget about her being pissed off. Almost.

"Oh." Grimmjow spoke, blue eyes rolling exasperatedly. "It's just you." Just you? The words rang like a bell in Mikan's head, and she quickly rinsed out the toothpaste in her mouth and stuck the toothbrush in its holder by the sink.

Opening the bathroom door, she stalked out and followed Grimmjow into the kitchen. "Excuse me? 'Just you?' How rude!" Swiftly snatching the apple Grimmjow had been about to take a bite out of, Mikan bit into it first, haughtily sticking her nose into the air and plopping herself into a chair.

The bluenette's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "Wha- what the fuck?" He reiterated, angrily glaring at the perpetrator. "I was going to fucking eat that!" He said in almost a whining tone. Mikan cackled evilly as she bit into the fruit again, deliberately making sure to munch nice and slow. "Well that's just too bad, isn't it?"

Grimmjow scoffed and walked over to the girl. She eyed him warily before he simply cuffed her in the back of the head. "You're such an annoying dumbass." He muttered and sat in the chair across from her, arms crossed against his chest. Like the mature adult she was, Mikan stuck her tongue at him and blew a rasberry. But before either of the two could say anything, Urahara appeared in the doorway, Yoruichi beside him in cat form.

"Sorry to break up your lover's spat, but I need to talk to Grimmjow about the questioning." He gestured for him to follow as he disappeared into the back of the shop. He would never let it show on the outside, but inside, he was spluttering for words after what Urahara had said. Mikan didn't have so much of a filter, so she was visibly bristling with indignation, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

With a scowl set back on his face, he followed Urahara.

* * *

"Yoruichi here has found out that it'll be Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya who will be visiting us today. Not much of a surprise here, since he's already in the World of the Living yesterday to help with the arrancars." Urahara informed him. Grimmjow's curiosity peeked a little at the mention of the arrancars. "What happened to them, anyways? The arrancars, I mean."

"The one you trapped, Ulquiorra I believe it was? That one was the last to go. Him and the other Espada, a big buff one, managed to escape. The Soul Reapers took care of the rest- they were all just mere underlings and low ranking arrancars anyways."

Grimmjow made a face when he heard Ulquiorra had managed to escape without so much as an extra hollow hole in his body. "So what the hell do ya expect me to do during this, 'investigation?'" He asked, forming air quotes around the last word.

"Captain Hitsugaya's not too bad, better him than Captain Sui Feng, am I right Yoruichi?" Urahara said, laughing loudly when the cat rolled her eyes. "Anyways, all you have to do is pretend to be a good little human, one that just happens to have more than the average amount of reiatsu. Good for us he wasn't there the last time you came to Karakura, or we'd all be in a pretty sticky situation!" Obviously no one was about to let that incident slide anytime soon. Grimmjow felt sort of bad his fraccion had almost killed the Soul Reapers, but not really. He'd had fun fighting Kurosaki, although it had been more of a one- side fight than anything.

"Anything else?" He grumbled.

"Hmm, no I think that's about it." He concluded and the man across from him stood to leave. As the door slid shut, Urahara turned to Yoruichi. "You think those two have a thing goin' on, or what?" He said slyly with a grin creeping on his face. Yoruichi's large gold eyes danced with humor and slight mischief. "Mmm, I don't know. I think they just need a little push in the right direction. Would _you_ be ok with though, Kisuke?"

"You know I want Mikan to be happy. But Grimmjow is... at the end of the day, he's an Espada, a hollow. How would he be able to survive in this world without half the Soul Society chasing after him?" He pondered. Yoruichi's tail waved back and forth in a lazy fashion. Both of them were staring at the door like they were waiting for someone to make an entrance. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things turn out."

* * *

"What did they say to you?" Mikan asked curiously when Grimmjow walked back in, hands in their usual place in his pockets. "Nothing. Just what to do when that Shinigami comes."

"Oh oh, did they tell you who it would be?" She asked excitedly, as if she had been waiting to know. Grimmjow's eyebrows scrunched up when he paused to think. "Why do you care anyways? It's some captain, Toshi Hisuguy- whatever." Mikan sat backwards in her chair and nodded slowly. "Toshiro Hitsugaya! Man, then you got lucky this time. At least it wasn't Captain Sui Feng or even Rukia's brother." A shiver ran down her back when she'd heard of the stories involving how the former had strongly detested Urahara, and how the latter was a cold, scary, elitist (Ichigo's words, of course).

"Now I'm just hearing the same thing." Grimmjow grumbled. "Aren't we supposed to go to that hellhole of the Human World today?" Mikan didn't defend the school being referenced to as a hellhole, mostly because she sort of agreed. "Yeah well, Urahara's letting me stay here because of last night, so your kind of stuck here too."

At the mention of last night, Grimmjow tensed, but just for a split second, quick enough that Mikan hadn't noticed. If the girl found out he had been the one to carry her home, that would forever be a detriment to his records. It was fucking embarrassing, really.

Mikan bit her lip when she saw the troubled look on Grimmjow's face. She had noticed that as long as his stony glare or vicious scowl was off, his face was practically like an open book. And that was saying a lot, since she wasn't too talented in the whole eye- reading and face- reading.

The room was silent, save for the occasional rustle from the front of the shop. Mikan was seated backwards in her chair, her legs on either side of the back, and Grimmjow was leaning against the wall to her left, arms crossed against her chest. Neither one of them spoke, and the silence was starting to grate on Mikan's nerves. There was the occasional rustle from somewhere in the house, but other than that- nothing. Finally, in a bold move, Mikan swung both her legs to one side, and jumped out of the chair, standing in front of Grimmjow.

He raised an eyebrow at her sudden movement, and the annoying, tell- tale warmth of a blush started creeping onto her face. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Mikan quickly said, "I never thanked you. Ya know, for last night and all that. So thank you."

The words were left hanging in the air, as Grimmjow didn't say anything back. The blood in her veins seemed to freeze, and it didn't help that her jaw seemed to be glued shut. She wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out as she mentally shriveled under his intense gaze. Her own dark hazel eyes couldn't seem to tear away from his electric blue ones. Her hands clenched into fists, unable to move her arms or legs.

And then there was the _hella annoying_, hormonal, teenage part of her that wanted to lean forward _ever so slightly_ and close the 10- inch gap between her lips and his. In his gigai, she could pretend he was a human, like her, not an Espada, or a hollow, or any kind of arrancar. She wanted to pretend, in only for a minute, that-

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" Grimmjow rumbled, breaking Mikan's trance. Her toes curling inside her shoes, she finally spun around, bolted across the room to fling open the doors, and ran to her room like the coward she was.

Grimmjow stared at the open door with his mouth slightly ajar. What... the hell? He had never understood women in Hueco Mundo (Harribel was a prime example, although she did scare the fuck out of him with her crazy thick eyelashes), and the women in the World of the Living didn't seem to different. He didn't try to understand them, and he wasn't about to waste energy doing it now. Strolling out with his hands behind his head, Grimmjow came face- to- face with Urahara.

Just then, Grimmjow felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, the feeling slowly intensifying by the second. "He's here." Urahara clarified, motioning with his cane for Grimmjow to follow him to the front of the shop. In their respective pockets, his hands clenched into fists with the feeling of anticipation looming closer. He would've preferred to stay put in the room and have the _captain_ come to _him_, not the other way around, but he had discovered long ago that things didn't always go the way he wanted.

The girl was obviously out of her whatever- it- was, and gave Grimmjow a smile when she saw him, making the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. _What the hell? _

Next to her was a short, white- haired boy with turquoise eyes, clad in human clothes. Grimmjow assumed he was in in a gigai, and that he was the captain, as the chibi was the epicenter where all the reiatsu was coming from. But _damn_, how in the world had a little shrimp like that become on par with the level of a captain? Either the Soul Society had some low standards, or the midget was just exceptionally strong, in which case Grimmjow half- hoped it was the former.

Feeling the gaze of those deep, turquoise, Grimmjow did the first human thing that came to his mind, and lifted the corner of his mouth so it resembled more of a grimace than a frown. Mikan's own lips twitched, threatening to let out a giggle when she saw the bizarre half- smile Grimmjow was giving.

"Welcome, Captain Hitsugaya!" Urahara announced loudly, breaking the silence that had formed like a thin sheet of ice. Toshiro nodded, short (no pun intended) and business- like.

"I didn't realize there was someone here. What's your name?" He asked Grimmjow. The previously upturned corner dragged back down into a tight- lipped frown.

"Grimmjow." He answered, deciding not to give a last name unless asked otherwise. He was just betting on the chance that the Soul Society didn't know the Espada's names.

The captain's intense gaze didn't waver from Grimmjow, who returned the stare with practiced intensity. "And what business do you have here? Are you a Soul Reaper?" _He didn't waste anytime beating around the bush, did he? _Urahara thought to himself, giving a mental nervous chuckle. Next to Toshiro, Mikan shifted her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt.

"I'm a... human." He replied, the answer feeling awkward on his tongue. "Riiight." Toshiro said, dragging the word out longer than necessary to create an almost sarcastic tone. Did he think Grimmjow was in a gigai? Could he tell? The captain's eyes stayed a moment longer on Grimmjow, lingering on his eye tattoos before tearing away to address Urahara.

"The Soul Society had been notified of six arrancar presences in the World of the Living yesterday. However, when we came to dispose of them, there were only five arrancars present. Then, during the fight, I felt a sixth spiritual pressure, just like we had been told. I was too busy fighting, though, and there were too many different pressures to be sure."

"So why are you here, then?" Urahara asked.

"I was sent here to search the area because later, after the fight, the same sixth spiritual pressure appeared on the Soul Society's radars again. Do you have any ideas what it could have been? Or where, for that matter?"

While Toshiro's attention was focused on Urahara, Mikan quickly exchanged glances with Grimmjow. There was no doubt the mysterious spiritual pressure belonged to the one and only Grimmjow. He had been there at the scene of the fight without a gigai, they knew that, but the two of them had both forgotten about Grimmjow shedding his gigai last night to fend off the gang members. That had definitely _not_ been included in their plans.

"Sorry, but I don't have a clue." Urahara acted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, as if he were actually thinking hard on the matter. "Well in any case, I'll be sure to inform you if anything happens."

"Right." Toshiro said again, slowly. His analyzing eyes swept a once- over at the shop before landing on Grimmjow again. The human had a weird vibe coming from him, one that the vertically challenged captain wasn't sure he liked or not. "Keep your eyes open for anything unusual, Kisuke. I'll be around if you do." And with that, he gave a curt nod to Mikan before taking his leave, hands in pockets in a true Grimmjow- fashion.

As soon as the door slid shut, all three of them let out a breath, Grimmjow adding in an eye- roll to boot.

"How did a brat like _that _become a captain?" He asked testily. "Don't talk about a Captain like that!" Mikan chastised. The bluenette mumbled something incoherent that had words that sounded a lot like "chibi" and "unbelievable."

"That was almost too easy." Urahara said breezily, the lower half of his face behind his fan. "It's best to just lay low for now, though, so Grimmjow- no going out of your gigai! I need to go tell Ichigo and the others, just to inform them of what's going on and make sure none of those knuckleheads slips up." Mikan listened to the clacking of his shoes against the hardwood floor as he left.

Grimmjow yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head with what Mikan swore was a purr. "Well since there's no shit for me to beat up here, I'm gonna go take a nap." He said, making a beeline for the bed in his room. Mikan scoffed with a grin on her face. "Don't you mean a catnap? Kitty, kitty." She said in a teasing tone. Grimmjow's blue head whipped around to glare at the offending girl.

"Yeah, well, cats have fangs and claws too so I'd shut the fuck up if I were you." He snapped. Mikan raced to his side, daring to lightly shove against his shoulder, which really proved to be pointless since he didn't even budge.

"I was just joking, Grimmjow. You need to lighten up." She said airily and tossed her head in a regal fashion, marching away to her room. Grimmjow shook his head for the second time that day. That girl... was the only one who had said and done something like that to him and gotten away with it. He didn't even so much as smack her or rip any of her limbs off, although he tried convincing himself it was because he was in a gigai and couldn't do squat.

Whatever. He supposed he was just getting used to the humans and their annoying behavior.

* * *

"We were unable to retrieve the girl, my Lord." Ulquiorra apologized, placing one arm across his chest and the other behind and bowed, the perfect image of loyalty.

In front of him, atop a well- built throne, the calm whiskey- colored eyes blinked slowly. His head rested almost bored on a fist that was propped up on the arm rest.

"Never mind, it's alright. You've both done good work, and the ones we lost there were of no concern, they were the lowest of the low." Aizen lifted his head from his hand and swept his cold, calculating eyes over his dear Espada. Ulquiorra and Yammy stood in front of him, with Harribel and her three underlings to their right. Aaroniero was next to her, across from Barragan and his fraccion, the latter of whom was seated next to the Primero Espada, whom was fast asleep, his head rested in the crook of his arm. And then there was Nnoitra with a bored expression on his thin face, and then Zommari and then Szayel Aporro, who finished the circle next to Harribel.

There was a gap between Nnoitra and Zommari, where the dark shadows used to be occupied by a certain blue- haired arrancar, and then another Sexta Espada, the two former Sextas of which were worlds apart when it came to looks.

"I heard Grimmjow's still alive?" Aizen murmured softly. The question was poorly disguised as such, it was more of a statement.

"Yes, my Lord." Ulquiorra answered, his emerald green eyes unblinking. At the mention of the former Espada being alive and in the World of the Living, a chatter broke out amongst the Espada, save for Starrk, who had woken from his nap and was staring at nothing in particular.

"It's alright, my dear Espada. He is of no concern to me and my plans. It's hardly a hindrance he's still alive, however annoying. We'll proceed as planned, and this time," he paused with an air of drama, "we will succeed."

**A/N: Well things are getting intense up in GrimmMika land lol. He's pretty thickheaded sometimes, huh? Anyways, this chapter was way too annoying to write since I kept on freaking deleting stuff! Gr, I'm such an idiot sometimes -_- well hope YOU guys enjoyed and as always, thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9: Lessons in Fighting

**Sorry for not updating earlier I went to a OneRepublic concert *-* Do you guys like them? Lol, ok enjoy the chapter **

**C****hapter 9**

**Lessons in Fighting**

"Good morniiing, ICHIGOOO!" Came the routine battle cry, followed by a painful, "oof!" and then a followup, foot- in- the- face.

"Ichigo! Why ya gotta treat your pops like that?" Isshin cried dramatically, now sporting a blossoming bruise under his eye. Not that the orange- head's dysfunctional father wasn't used to it by now. The guy was a loving dad, no doubt, but a total nutcase.

"Why do ya gotta go barging into my room like that?" Ichigo fired back. Stepping aside his dad's quivering form, he raised a hand in the air lazily and parted ways with a final, "I'm headed to Urahara's. Be back in like an hour."

* * *

"Didja find anything out, Captain?" Rangiku inquired, poking her head around the corner of the wall, a similar hair- colored head appearing below hers. Orihime had gotten used to the two Shinigami staying at her place whenever their job called for them to stay in the World of the Living for a while. She liked Rangiku's company and appreciated the fact that the busty lieutenant shared similar tastes in food as she did. As for Rangiku's younger companion, although much more level- headed and serious, Toshiro usually ended up being the one to clean up after Rangiku's messes, not wanting to trouble the human girl further on account of his lieutenant being lazy. It was always entertaining watching the two bicker back and forth

The white- haired captain shook his head. "No. However, I did sense something strange from one of the humans there. I can't be sure of anything, but I want you to keep tabs on one of the residents of that place. Just do the usual surveillance, and that on top of it. There's no need to jump to conclusions just yet."

Rangiku emerged from behind the wall, Orihime following close behind and sinking into a chair. "Why, Captain? Who is this mysterious resident?"

"He said his name was Grimmjow. I didn't get a last name. He seemed normal enough, besides the fact that his reiatsu was higher than what the normal human's would be, which is part of the reason why I want to make sure nothing's out of the norm about that guy. Better safe than sorry." He said, snowy eyebrows knit together as he thought.

Behind Rangiku, Orihime tensed up, her hands toying with the hem of her school skirt. She had figured when her friend Mikan and the bluenette hadn't shown up in class, that something must have happened. After she had gotten home (Toshiro and Rangiku weren't in the house), Urahara had called, telling her to just lay low and try not to act suspicious, which she gladly agreed to, not wanting to put her friend in danger. She wasn't sure if she could Grimmjow her friend, but he hadn't tried anything either, so he wasn't exactly an enemy.

"Hey Orihime, do you know this guy? If he's human, then he must go to school here, right?" Rangiku suddenly asked Orihime. The younger of the two women jumped slightly after being pulled out of her thoughts so abruptly, but hastily covered it up by rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ehehe, um yeah! I've never talked to him but he's in my class!" Orihime lied. It didn't feel good to lie to her friend, and she was almost positive it was pretty much against the law to lie to a Captain, but what other choice did she have? Mikan was her friend too, and she liked Grimmjow. As anything more, Orihime wasn't sure, but if Mikan and even Ichigo were willing to go to these lengths, than she herself would stand by her friends, even if it meant lying to the Soul Society.

"Well keep an eye on him, ok?" Rangiku said in a carefree tone as she examined her fingernails. Orihime nodded and went to the door to put on her shoes.

"Where are you going?" Rangiku asked.

"I'm just going to head to Urahara's real quick. Be back in, like, an hour!" Orihime chimed and slipped out the door.

* * *

"Yes."

"No."

"Oh come on, Mikan. It's just for a week, two at most."

"_Two weeks_? You're out of your mind if you think I'll agree to that torture."

"You know it'll be good for you." Mikan pouted, lower lip sticking out and all. A small huff escaped her and she crossed her arms angrily. Leaning on his cane was Urahara, and diagonal from her seat was Grimmjow, who was currently devouring a rice ball.

"But why? There are so many other ways I can get stronger, like biking! A- and rock climbing!" She listed, saying the first activities that came to her mind. Urahara had gotten the notion that Mikan needed to build up her strength, but for whatever reason, didn't feel like training her himself and instead, decided that learning how to box would be the way to go.

"You're already registered for a week and a half. Class officially starts tomorrow on Sunday, but if you hurry you might be able to make it there today." Urahara mused behind the protection of his fan. It's not that Mikan didn't want to get stronger, to put it bluntly, she was just lazy.

"But-"

"I'll cut off the half week."

"...FINE!" She groaned and dragged her feet to the door to yank on her shoes. Grimmjow stuffed the remains of the rice ball into his mouth and strolled over to her too.

"Why are you so upset? Ya kinda _are_ a weakling, ya know." Grimmjow pointed out helpfully. Mikan snapped her head around, which turned out to be counterproductive, since the ponytail she was wearing whipped into her face.

"Ow!" She cried out and put a hand over her eyes. The day was already turning sour as lemonade with no sugar and it wasn't even noon. "Let's just go there and be done with it." Grimmjow smirked when Mikan tried to angrily shut the door, but only succeeded in tripping and falling flat on her ass. She was such a klutz.

* * *

"Ya Mikan Urahara?" A big, buff man, with a bushy mustache and beard and inky black tattoos swirling around both forearms grunted at the girl. Urahara obviously wasn't her biological father, and at times he seemed more like an uncle than anything, but he had adopted her nonetheless, just to avoid any questions.

"Y- yes? Yes, that's me." Mikan reiterated, clearing her throat confidently. Now if only her legs would stop shaking like a couple of flimsy twigs, but how could they? The trainer she had to spend a whole week boxing with was heavily built and at least 6 foot 2. He had black shades on, even though they were inside, and was wearing a roughly cut muscle tank, with a picture of some rock band Mikan had never heard of. She couldn't see his eyes, either, but was pretty sure they'd be black and match the burly eyebrows above and the military- styled cut of pitch black.

"Mah real name's Yoru but e'reyone else calls meh Shred." He said nonchalantly in a deep baritone and rough voice. The sandpaper feel to it gave Mikan the chills, and even made Grimmjow narrow his eyes. And it didn't exactly help that the upgrade from his name, meaning night, was "Shred." It didn't have the best connotation surrounding it.

"An' I know who _ya_ are." Shred said, tipping his head at Grimmjow. He visibly bristled, a twitch working in his jaw. "Oh yeah? And how the fuck do you know my name?" Grimmjow said equally dangerously. The air between the two six- footers instantly dropped to below- zero temperatures. It didn't matter if Shred was wearing shades or not, because Mikan was pretty sure Grimmjow's electrified blue eyes were going to pierce through them and collide with Shred's own.

"No cussin' in the dojo." Shred growled into Grimmjow's face. Mikan had to stifle a laugh when she saw surprise flash across Grimmjow's face for a split second. Neither one of them had pegged the burly man for a non- cusser, but that just went to show not to judge people by their cover. "Me an' Urahara go way back. I know 'bout all ya arrancahs an' such." Shred finally grunted out, breaking the suffocating silence. Mikan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about that stuff? Urahara never told me about any 'Shred.'"

"Probably 'cuz he didn't want choo ta know 'bout me. I ain't the best at dealin' wit lil' girls like ya." He said with the first grin of the day, revealing two shiny gold teeth among the pearly whites.

Mikan ignored the second part of the answer, instead focusing on the reason she'd come in the first place. "So I'm supposed to do some boxing or something?" She asked uncertainly. Behind her, Grimmjow was still sulking, over what, she didn't know, but he had opted to sit just outside the rink when Shred led Mikan into it. Her uncertainty grew when the man towering over her presented her with what looked like bandages.

"Put these on. They help ya get used ta the weight of the gloves ya gonna wear later." He said while wrapping the hand wraps around both her hands. She flexed her fingers, awkwardly testing them out.

"Shouldn't we stretch or something?" Mikan voiced her thoughts, trying not to cringe when Shred looked at her.

"First thing ya gotta know is this: boxin' ain't fightin'. Ya call it fightin' an' ya can go out that there door, understood?" He ignored her question. Mikan bobbed her head up and down, honestly fearful she wouldn't come out of the rink without a couple new bruises.

"Now put ya feet like this, and ya arms up like that." Shred said, adjusting Mikan's moves as she tried copying his own. "If ya wanna be able ta at least tickle an arrancah, ya gotta learn how ta box properly." He said with a light chuckle. Mikan rolled her eyes, and paid attention to Shred as he spoke again.

"We gonna do some simple jabs and dodges an' then one of mah other students is gonna work with ya a bit." And not a second later, Mikan shrieked and how to raise her hands at the last minute to block Shred's right arm. The hit wasn't as hard as Mikan had expected, but that didn't mean it didn't make her stumble back a little. "Don' loose ya footin'! An' elbows down, hands up!" Shred coached as jabs and swipes rained over Mikan. Her eyes peeked over the top of her hand wraps, but the most she could do was dodge and duck.

"Come on! Ya can do better than that. Look for an openin' in mah defenses an' try for a punch." Easier said than done. The wind was knocked out of Mikan when she didn't move fast enough and a jab cuffed her left shoulder, throwing her back against the cushioned ring. She slumped down with her knees touching, head back.

"I don't want to do this anymore." Mikan said through heavy breathing. She was already tired after merely five minutes of simple throws and punches, and her forehead was dotted with sweat. What was Urahara thinking, pitting her against someone like Shred? If they kept this up much longer, he'd do just as his namesake said, shred!

Behind Mikan, Grimmjow's lips flattened out into a thin line. It was obvious as he was watching that the girl was outmatched against the experienced boxer. And he could tell that the expert was going easy on her, but still... he didn't like the way the girl looked so frail and small compared to the big guy.

"Maybe you should go a little easier on her." He grumbled out. Mikan let out a deep breath, using her right elbow to lever herself up and into the stance Shred had taught her.

"An' maybe ya should keep ya trap shut. This here is _mah_ dojo, it ain't yars." Shred called back to Grimmjow. Mikan felt an inward surge of happiness that Grimmjow had actually called Shred out on his level of difficulty, but at the same time, embarrassment that she couldn't keep up with it.

"I'm fine. Let's go." Mikan stated firmly, keeping her eyes trained on those rectangular shades and the big hand- wrapped fists next to them. And when the first jab came to her left, she dodge, boldly stepped forward and used the back of her forearm to rap sharply against Shred's chin. In surprise, he lowered his hands and rubbed the spot she had hit.

"Well, well! That move ain't orthodox, but maybe that's just ya style of fightin'. I'm gonna let one of mah students to spar against ya for a bit, just ta let ya get used tah someone ya own size." Shred said before exiting the ring. Mikan followed him out and immediately slumped over the bench next to Grimmjow. The bluenette smirked at her tired form.

"I dunno if I can take a whole week of this." Mikan muttered with her eyes closed. Exercise had never been her forte, and her body wasn't used to such a sudden upturn in her exercise pattern, which usually composed of walking to school, and that hadn't even been a whole three days.

Grimmjow scoffed at her, the noise which she ignored. "So you're just going to give up? Dumbass." To that statement, Mikan made an unintelligent noise, something along the lines of a groan and off- key singing.

The sound of footsteps caught both of their attention. Mikan made an effort to at least look somewhat dignified, even if she _was_ about to get her ass handed to her. As soon as she saw the person, however, her jaw fell somewhere around her feet.

"I didn't know you boxed."

"I... didn't expect you to be here." Mikan stuttered, eyes giving a once- over of Ayame. Instead of the school uniform, she was wearing a tight gray sports bra and black, knee- length yoga pants with her auburn red hair in a ponytail. Her face was void of any makeup, which allowed Mikan to notice the light splattering of cinnamon- colored freckles across the bridge of her nose.

Ayame turned her head over to Grimmjow, who had suddenly become very interested in the floor. "I didn't expect you to be here either. So, what? You two dating or something?" She asked casually. Mikan slowly shut her mouth and willed her eyeballs back into their sockets. She just didn't expect Ayame to be so... badass? Was that it?

"No! I mean, no, we're not dating. We're just friends." Mikan almost choked out, forcing the words out of her throat. She knew Grimmjow didn't have any interest in Ayame, but that didn't mean he wanted to be with Mikan either.

Ayame nodded once, all official- like. "Oh, ok. Well, let's go box." She tugged on the ends of her boxing gloves and jumped over the ropes of the ring. It was then that Mikan finally recalled the first day of school, when Ayame had mentioned something about her boxing. Mikan just hadn't expected her to be, well, telling the truth. But it seemed there was a whole lot more than met the eye with that chick.

Mikan gave a backwards glance at Grimmjow, who was holding his jaw in his hand and wearing a scowl on his face, and followed Ayame.

"So why'd you decide to box all of a sudden? I didn't expect you to be the kind of person that was interested in that kind of thing." Ayame said colloquially to Mikan. It was still weird talking to Ayame after all the times she had disregarded her in favor of trying to get it on with Grimmjow. Clearly, she had gotten over Grimmjow faster than a race car in the Indy 500.

"I need to, um, get a little stronger. Just figured this would be some good exercise for me too." She inwardly cringed at the second half, which was a complete and total lie. Good exercise her ass. Thankfully, though, Ayame merely nodded and brought her gloved hands (they looked like they could do a lot of damage) up to her nose level and brought her right foot back slightly.

"You weren't in class yesterday. Neither was big Blue over there." Ayame commented through light punches and jabs. Mikan could tell she wasn't completely zoned in on the attacks since her hits were hardly more than pats and taps. She knew Ayame was an experienced boxer, though, from the way her hands always returned to their home guarding her face. Not to mention the sleeved school uniform had hid the corded muscle in her biceps.

Mikan decided to stop beating around the bush and just cut straight to the chase. Ignoring the question hinted at from Ayame's previous comment, she said, "Why are you so different than the way you are at school? You're like a whole different person." She had struck a nerve.

All of a sudden, the fiery redhead landed a heavy punch, smack- dab on Mikan's unprotected stomach. Mikan's eyebrows shot into her hairline as she gasped, her breaths coming out in short pants. Her legs gave way and she fell to her knees, but managed to stay upright. Damn, though. Her stomach felt like it had been run over by a steamroller, then backed up again. It gave sharp pangs of pain, making Mikan wrap one arm around it and grit her teeth through the pain.

"Hey! What the hell!" Grimmjow called like a referee from the sidelines. He was all for the girl getting stronger, but that had been a low blow. Literally. The redhead could obviously tell that Mikan hadn't been keeping an eye on her intestinal- area, but hadn't struck a blow there until then. "That was a dirty move." Admittedly, Grimmjow had had his fair share of dirty moves, but maybe he just didn't like the girl being caught off guard so easily like that. He wanted her to fight back, dust of her knees, and-

What the fuck? He had to pull his head out of the sewers- what had he been thinking?

Ayame looked troubled, biting her lip and looking down before walking close to Mikan. She didn't stop until the two were only a foot apart, with her hands resting on her knees.

"You hardly know who I am. You think I'm just some big- shot girl, who has nothing to do all day but schedule mani- pedis and and talk on the phone with her friends? You're _wrong_." Ayame said bitterly, her voice cracking at the end. The taller of the two girls moved her head away, staring down at her blue boxing gloves. Mikan looked at Ayame with eyes as big as baseballs. Granted, she had only known Ayame for two days, but she was acting like a complete stranger now. Who _was_ Ayame? Why was she saying all this to Mikan?

"I don't have _anyone_ who actually wants to be my friend for who I am. All that those girls that follow me around want is for me to take them shopping and buy them expensive gifts. But you know what the sad part is? _I do it anyway. _Just so they'll be my friends." Ayame choked out before crumbling onto the floor, her hands resting in front of her. What was she supposed to say to that? This Ayame chick was having a serious breakdown. It was unnerving, really, to see the confident girl who strutted around the hallways at school, to turn out to be totally unhappy with her life. Mikan didn't even know her family was rich, but found she didn't really care either. After all, she hadn't disliked Ayame because she was wealthy, she had disliked her because of who she was.

"I didn't know. I had no idea." It was the truth.

"Then you came to school, along with him- Grimmjow. The two of you just waltzed right in and soaked in the spotlight without having to do anything. For once, I actually wanted something that I couldn't get. I tried so hard for him to notice me, but he was always around you and your friends." Ayame half- whispered, looking so sad that Mikan had to resist the urge to just fling her arms around the girl and give her a big grizzly hug.

"Oh Ayame." Mikan said with a heavy sigh. "I didn't know." She sounded like a broken record, but the look Ayame gave her wasn't one of fury or deep loathing, it was one of sadness. As melancholy as a looming gray cloud on the horizon.

"I know it's not your fault. And you shouldn't say your sorry. I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm sorry, for the way I've acted towards you and Grimmjow. I really am." Ayame deep brown eyes started glistening with unshed tears, her lips twisting into a line. Hesitantly, Mikan raised her arms before placing them on Ayame's shoulders and bringing her closer into a hug. She looked like she was long overdue for one.

"It's ok. I'll be your friend, we all will! You should have just said something sooner."

Grimmjow sat awkwardly outside the ring, watching the two women fuss and talk their _feelings _out. It made him want to groan and yell and tear his hair out from all the mushy softness, but he suppressed the urge. It seemed that _feelings_ was one of the things he had to get used to in the World of the Living, like it or not.

Ayame was the one to pull back from the embrace, hands held almost in an elegant pose over her eyes, having taken her gloves off. Mikan gave a tentative smile when Ayame put down her hands and pulled on her gloves again and got up.

"You ready?" She said without smiling, but with her eyes lighter and softer- looking. Mikan gave an exasperated sigh, but smiled and stood in the basic stance. She was the first to move, surprising them both, but Ayame returned the try with a side- bat of her hand. Mikan blocked it with her own fist, driving it back in an unorthodox- manner. She supposed it was just her style.

It went on for another half hour. Jabs, punches, side- steps, unusual parries and strange shoulder- slams. Mikan knew Ayame was going easy on her, just like Shred, but a bit more gentler; with not as much raw power.

It ended with both girls huffing with their hands on their knees. Mikan wiped her brow tiredly, arm lazily swinging down like a limp noodle. She knew she would really feel the aftermath of the workout come Sunday morning. Hell, her arms were _already_ sore and it had just ended.

"You ready to go now?" Came the cheerful, bright voice of Grimmjow, who liked like he was about to fall asleep. "I'm hungry."

Ayame chuckled, her eyes looking at the bluenette fondly. It was a different look than the one she gave at school that was predatory and full of lust. And it didn't go unnoticed by Mikan, who tried not to act like a jealous girlfriend especially since Grimmjow wasn't even hers in the first place.

"Are you sure you guys aren't dating or whatever? You two would be cute together." If Mikan had been drinking something, Ayame would've gotten a surprise shower.

"We're _not_. And anyway, I thought you liked him?"

"Yeah, I guess I did. But he shouldn't be with me, it wouldn't be right, ya know?"

"Mmhm." Honestly, she didn't really know what the redhead was talking about, but it sounded like Ayame had let Grimmjow out of her sights.

"Don't think I see the way you always look at him! You should tell him how you feel. The worst that could happen is you getting rejected." Ayame said simply. Mikan made a face, her upper lip curling up. "I don't think so. He's not really the... kind to talk about feelings." _Not to mention he wasn't even human_, she wanted to add.

"Oook! Hey, see you at school." Oh right. She had forgotten about that place and distantly wondered if things would be awkward now that the raging waters between the two had calmed. Ayame lightly punched Mikan's shoulder in a friendly way, so Mikan gave a smile as the redhead left the ring to return to where she had come from. Mikan caught a glimpse of some kind of personal workout room, complete with punching bags hanging from the ceiling.

"Finally! Let's leave." Grimmjow said tiredly, stretching his arms over his head like a big cat flexing. It seemed no matter what he did, Mikan would always give a laugh or smile. In this case, it was the latter. She leaped over the ropes, inwardly groaning from using the muscles in her leg when she had been standing the whole time.

"Feel any stronger?" He asked, skeptically arching an eyebrow. Mikan unwrapped her hand wraps and left them on the counter by the entrance. "I'm not just going to develop awesome fighting skills in one day, ya know." She said as they walked out and into the streaming sunlight. There was a light breeze that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. That, along with the oranges and reds that were starting to take over the green in the trees on the side, signalized that autumn was fast approaching.

"That Shred guy gave me weird vibes." Grimmjow grumbled with his hands stuck in their respective pockets. Mikan stole a sideways glance at him and her mouth curved into a sly grin.

"Why? I kinda liked him. He looks like a big teddy bear." She said, swinging her arms around herself like they were a straitjacket. "I just didn't like his vibe, that's all." He said with an air of unhappiness. His attitude was starting to affect Mikan's own mood, the corners of her mouth turning south along with it.

"Is it because he got that one cuff in? It didn't even hurt that much and besides, I should have seen it coming. If you ask me, it was a lot better than the one Ayame landed." Mikan reasoned. Sometimes with Grimmjow, it was like he was a little kid that needed soothing words instead of harsh angry ones. In some ways, he was, since he didn't know too much about the Human World anyways.

"It doesn't matter." He said with a tone of finality. It stumped Mikan the way he was acting since _he_ was the one who had brought up the topic in the first place. "Ok, whatever." She agreed, raising her eyebrows with slight exasperation.

When they almost reached Urahara shop, Ayame's words started ringing in Mikan's head like a tin ball in an empty metal cup. Part of her was dying to see how Grimmjow would react to her declaring her undying love, and the other half was content always being arms length away from him. Did arrancars have love interests in Hueco Mundo? Did they date? And then there was the million dollar question: were they even capable of loving?

Mikan tensed, earning the attention of the person next to her. She didn't want to believe Grimmjow was just another run- of- the- mill hollow, only glorified with a number. He did have emotions, whether he admitted it or not, like his preference for rice balls over anything else for dinner, and the way he didn't like Shred. Mikan refused to believe he was a monster, capable of only devouring souls. And the thoughts only made her want to test her curiosity out.

"Grimmjow." It wasn't a question or order. He stopped right in front of her, just about to pull the door open. Swiveling his head around, the rest of his body followed until he was facing her. That was his reply to his name.

"Grimmjow, I-" Her voice faltered, and suddenly the cool fall breeze felt hot and suffocating. The more Mikan's hazel eyes stared into Grimmjow cornflower blue ones, the clammier her hands felt. Her heart pounded painfully loud in her chest and her throat felt like a desert. Oh damn, why was she always rendered speechless when faced to him like this? It was embarrassing, really.

"Yes?" He said cautiously, not sure how to react with her frozen, trance- like state. His eyes flickered to her lips, which were parted slightly and he could hear the small, broken huffs of breath she exhaled. What the-?

Her fists rolled into balls, the fingernails digging into her skin in an effort to move, _do something. _She watched as his eyes trailed down to her lips, and that's when she decided her stupid body was going to _move_, dammit, and she was going to march inside and shut herself in her room and live as a recluse for the rest of her life.

Before that could happen, however, Grimmjow's eyebrows knit together and a soft scoff escaped his lips. Was it just his stupid eyesight in the gigai, or was the sun shining a little too perfectly on the girl? It looked like her dark brown hair was several shades lighter than it really was. All the shitty things he had been... experiencing earlier during the week came rushing back to him like a cero to the face. He always felt so comfortable around the human girl, out of all the humans and Soul Reapers in the World of the Living, but he had assumed it was because he was around her the most.

But now, he didn't think that was it.

Grimmjow Jeagerjacques didn't want to run like some pansy Soul Reaper, but he didn't exactly want to directly confront what he was thinking either. And he was thinking that the girl, Mikan, was kind to him all the time- so foolish. How naive. Didn't she know he was a monster, a king among them? If she stepped too far into the woods, she was going to encounter the big, bad wolf.

He was turning weak, and it was all her fault. Or maybe, he was just allowing himself to grow soft. Whatever it was, his mind vaguely acknowledged it before it was swept away into a crevice in the back of his mind.

And just as Mikan lifted herself onto her tiptoes, Grimmjow placed one hand on the back of her neck and the other went to grip one of her wrists; he captured her lips in a kiss.

**A/N: Omg, don't kill me if Grimm seems too mushy gushy, but there _were_ a lot of feelings tossed around in this chapter soo... anyways Mikan's going to get muscles! Yay :p I dunno about you guys, but I love Shred XD The way he doesn't cuss despite his intimidating look cracks me up. Hope you guys liked this chapter, and as always, thanks for reading! **


	10. Chapter 10: Arrival

**Hey peeps, first of all tenth chapter! Yay! And second, over 1k hits? If I could scream from the top of a cliff I would. That may not seem like a lot for a story, but to me it's on par with a million. Honestly, since I have a knack for killing stories when it's not even the second chapter, I never thought it would come this far. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed this story because it was that first follower who pushed me to crank out the second chapter, and since I'm a freak and saved that email notification, here's a shoutout to you: Xxdreamergirl95xX. Sorry for this long A/N, but I just wanted you guys to know that I really am thankful for everything, even the reviews where you guys voice your own opinions and tell what you liked or didn't like about the chapter, because it lets me know! In this chapter we explore more.. feelings! Sorry this is short, but hope you guys enjoy ^_^**

**Chapter 10**

**Arrival**

Grimmjow's first reaction the moment their lips touched was to push the girl away. But he didn't. The girl's eyes slid shut, which Grimmjow was glad for because then he wouldn't have to awkwardly look into them. His own eyes, though, were only at half- mast, flickering around the girl's face, unsure of what to do.

The kiss itself could hardly be classified as such. The initial touch of their lips had caught Grimmjow off guard more than Mikan, and he had started to shrink back, slowly inching away, millimeter by millimeter. Unfortunately, and amusingly a lot like a dog with a bone dangling in front of it, the girl leaned forward as he leaned back, keeping the same distance.

His toes curled in his shoes and he was suddenly aware of his hands on the girl's wrist and the back of her neck. He felt like such a _human_, such a fucking dumbass for acting like one. He may have donned their clothing and looked the part, but there was no erasing the six tattooed underneath his gigai.

Suddenly the door behind him suddenly swung open, bubbly laughter dying away. Like, well, two teenagers caught together, both Mikan and Grimmjow snapped out of the lip- brushing and stepped away from each other. Grimmjow threw his hands off the girl to boot, pushing her back as he did. His head spun around, lips sealing shut when the unheard guests stood and gawked at them. Mikan's eyes snapped open, full of confusion and slight hurt as she looked from him to Ichigo, Orihime, and Urahara.

Grimmjow's previously lowered eyes had snapped back into their place in a searing glare not particularly directed at any one person. As the seconds ticked by, the air grew stiffer and more uncomfortable, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

"You wanna tell me what was going on?" Urahara said in his usual slow, sleek voice behind his fan. The words only added fuel to the burning bonfire, however, snapping Grimmjow into action, angrily stuffing his hands into his pockets and muttering a, "_fuck_!"

Grimmjow stomped past Orihime, shoving her aside with his shoulder, and kicking the door open with his foot. It seemed to rattle on its hinges after he slammed it shut, leaving a resonating sound into the silence.

Mikan stood there with one hand that had started to reach for the clearly upset bluenette, but decided against it. Ichigo's mouth hung open, his whiskey- colored eyes wide and unbelieving. The scene they had intruded upon: Mikan kissing... _Grimmjow_?

"Were you guys just- was that- a- are you-" He couldn't even form coherent and complete sentences. His words jumbled up in his mouth, gushing out like a waterfall. He just couldn't believe what his mind was blatantly telling him. How could Grimmjow have willingly locked lips with a human? Then again, the little temper tantrum he had thrown just then could have meant there hadn't been mutual consent in the kiss. In that case, had Mikan come onto Grimmjow? Ichigo tried to wrap his mind around that idea, but she just didn't seem like that kind of person.

"Fucking shit damn!" The random profanities spilled out of Mikan's mouth without her usual filter on. If it weren't for the situation, it probably would've been funny for the Level 2 Cusser to have been at a Level 4. Orihime stepped aside wordlessly, allowing her to slip inside most likely run to her room.

The door slammed shut for the second time, the wood near splintering into pieces. Ichigo, Orihime, Urahara stood there together, looking, but not seeing, at the cars whizzing by on the street. Urahara was the one who broke the silence, with a simple, "Interesting."

"Interesting? Is that all you have to say, Urahara?!" Ichigo exclaimed. The clog- wearing man grinned and looked at Ichigo from the corner of his eye.

"What else is there to say?"

"Mikan and Grimmjow were-! They...were... are they together?" He spluttered, utterly baffled by the concept of Grimmjow, a former Espada, taking Mikan, a human, out on dates. It was an absolutely ludicrous idea.

"It's kind of cute." Orihime chimed and tapped a finger on her chin, wondering about how the two would look together. Unusual, but perhaps not too far fetched. "Cute? Grimmjow is an _arrancar_! Mikan is a _human_! How would things work out between them? Not to mention, is Grimmjow even capable of emotions like _love_?" Ichigo said exasperatedly, using hand gestures as an emphasize on his point. Urahara silently pondered the topic himself. Not matter what happened between those two, the bottom line was: he didn't want Mikan getting hurt. He wasn't blind, he could see how she acted when Grimmjow said something or reacted to something she said. The girl was smitten. And he wasn't sure he was comfortable with that.

"We'll figure things out." Urahara mused as usual, the hat on his hat putting a cork on all his flowing thoughts and turmoil, not letting them seep out. Ichigo rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Ugh. When did everything become this complicated? That stupid Grimmjow should just go back to Hueco Mundo." He muttered, digging a hole in the ground with the tip of his sneakers. Orihime's eyes softened with concern when she saw the troubled look marring Ichigo's face. Tightening her lips in a line, she said, "I should get going. Rangiku and Toshiro are probably waiting for me at home." She clasped her hands together and forced a sweet smile on, "Bye Ichigo! I guess I'll see you in class Monday." He raised his head at his name and gave a swift nod, then went back to twisting his foot around. Orihime's smile dimmed slightly, but she had already turned away and he was none the wiser.

Urahara was facing the closed door, not sure why he hadn't gone inside already. It felt so strange to him, the idea of treating Mikan like his daughter. Of course, she was dear to him, like a daughter, but perhaps being a father just wasn't a suit he was about to wear just yet. He preferred the term guardian. Yes, with a slight nod of his head, he went inside the store that seemed a tad too quiet, just like the calm before the tempest.

* * *

The small light stand next to the bed went flying, ricocheting off the wall and the wood splintering into pieces. The impact had also left a nicely sized dent in the wall, but Grimmjow didn't care. He was angry and _not_ in a good mood, to say the least. He was livid.

What had he been thinking? He would have liked to know _what he had been thinking_? Never in all his life, spent at either Hueco Mundo or the Human World, did he ever even _dream_ he would have been... doing that vulgar act with a _human_. The only question was why? What had caused that spur of the moment? Why was he so angry? Would he still stay in the World of the Living? Could he bear to show his face again? There were too many questions, none of which he wanted to answer.

"Damn. It. All." With every word he bit out, a piece of furniture he could get his hands on went flying at the wall like a Frisbee. He couldn't go out of his gigai and go looking for some hollows to kill, either, because of that stupid Shinigami Captain. And he couldn't just punch the shit out of everything he saw because of said gigai and how intolerant it was to things like pain.

Grimmjow let out a soft huff and ran his hands through his hair before resting them on top of his head. There was just the lightest of throbs, a minuscule little thing, but it reminded him of the injuries he had brought with him when he first came to the Human World. They had all mostly healed, relatively fast all things considered, but his tantrum must have reawakened them. It didn't matter, though, and he didn't care.

_Now what?_ His smartass mind thought as Grimmjow looked around at the trashed room. The only things intact were the bed and the window. All four walls were polka- dotted with dent marks, revealing the white insulation inside. The night stand, chair, and small desk were all strewn around and laying on pieces on the floor. It looked like there had been a hurricane in the room, but it was really just the aftermath of Grimmjow's chaotic emotions.

_Emotions_. What a weak, bitchy word. Were emotions why he had acted like he did? If so, then Grimmjow thought he had better figure his plans out for the future, and fast, before the disease known as Emotions took over more of his mind. He felt lower than he had ever felt before, and that included the time when Tousen had sliced his arm off like it had been made out of butter. _That_ had been a cheap shot, though. What he did with the girl, that had been his own action, and he was severely regretting it.

Inhale through the nose, exhale out the mouth, inhale, exhale. Grimmjow repeated the routine until his breathing wasn't so erratic, and his mind didn't feel like it was about to explode. At least not yet, anyways. But what should he do? He didn't want to talk to anyone, especially not the human girl. She was too unsettling to be around, and made him too relaxed which was _definitely_ a bad thing.

Resting hands went back into action, plowing through lush blue hair. He felt restless. His legs propelled his body to the door, and his hand even rested on the doorknob, ready to turn it and then- then what? A sigh escaped Grimmjow as he weighed his options:

1). Grow a pair and confront Mikan.

2). Stay in the room.

3). Take a nap.

The options got progressively more lax and unproductive the more he thought about it. While he _was_ getting tired, he didn't want to have given Kurosaki the wrong impression that he... was in a relationship with the girl. Pride and strength, the two factors that dominated most of his actions. _Except that one..._

Alright. His alter ego could kindly shut the fuck out. Grimmjow glanced at the setting sun behind the window before flopping down onto the bed eagle- spread, with his face in between two pillows.

Option 3 it was.

* * *

"Oh my God. _Oh my God. _Oh geez, oh man. Oh golly. Oh gosh. Oh damn. Oh fuck." Mikan ranted every oh- something she could think (they got progressively more vulgar) to try and calm down. It didn't work, since she was still pacing back and forth in her room, fingertips touching her lips.

She had kissed Grimmjow. On the _lips_. What the hell was she thinking?! Of course he had practically shoved her away and then bolted from the scene, it wasn't like he had wanted to be kissed! And it just made her want to crawl into her bed and die under the covers when Ichigo, Orhime, and Urahara had walked out to _that_ scene. Her self- embarrassment was at an all- time low and it felt absolutely awful.

At least she knew the answer that somewhat sated her curiosity. Her stupid, damn curiosity. Just when she and Grimmjow had started getting along fine and dandy, it had to come along and tear down everything with a life- ruining kiss.

Okay, maybe she was being a _little_ dramatic, but how could she not? Mikan couldn't believe that she had locked lips with the same ex- Espada that had used Rukia as a glove and Ichigo as a personal punching bag. It was crazy to think something so... _human_ had happened between the two. And the kiss itself... It had felt breathtaking to Mikan; had made her want to fling her arms around Grimmjow and have him spin her around in a circle (not that that would ever actually happen). It had probably felt chaste to Grimmjow, but somehow Mikan was ok with it being her first kiss.

Yep. Seventeen years old and a had- been lip virgin, not that there was anything wrong with that, Mikan just never dreamed her first kiss would've been with an arrancar with crazy, wild, blue locks and a wicked, psychotic grin that she always liked seeing, not to mention those cornflower blue eyes that had no trouble rendering her speechless with loss...

Hormones. Hormones all over the place. Mikan let out a groan and placed each of her hands over her ears, even though there wasn't any noise to block out. And right after that, there was a loud crash that came from the wall between Mikan and Grimmjow's rooms. It didn't take a genius to figure out said bluenette was probably having fun wrecking the room, if the noise that followed after the initial crash meant anything.

The brunette girl sat down on her white- spread bed. Her jaw clenched and relaxed over and over, which was probably bad for her teeth and made them feel weird, but she didn't care. The repeated action was a poor attempt at distracting herself from thinking how silly a notion it had been from the start to be attracted to Grimmjow. After all, wasn't that practically the same as turning traitor?

But then everyone accepted Grimmjow, no matter how uncertainly, and Mikan just kept falling deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit of hopelessness. She was hopeless, too far gone. And she knew she was acting like an over- dramatic teenage girl (which she was), but she had just been so into that blue- haired bastard and his rugged and violent personality that now that she had been rejected, it felt like a tractor had just steamrolled right over her and she had melted into a disgusting puddle of goop and skin.

Why did Grimmjow have to be so impulsive and crazy? It seemed almost masochistic to expect anything resembling love from Grimmjow and all she would receive would be a big bag of Disappointment. Maybe if he had been some random high school boy with normal interests like skateboarding and video gaming, she wouldn't be feeling so hopeless and sad, it was pitiful.

Mikan laid down on her back with her legs dangling off the side. _At least he calmed down,_ she thought, from the absence of various crashes and trembles from the wall. There were so many things she wanted to say to not just Grimmjow, but Urahara and Ichigo too. She just didn't think she had it in her to actually force the words out of her mouth. At least, not tonight. Mikan closed her eyes and let her lips part just a fraction of an inch, the sweet darkness of sleep pulling her in.

* * *

"Rangiku."

"I'm contacting the Soul Society immediately." The busty lieutenant said in a business- like manner while punching buttons on a device that resembled a cell phone.

Captain Hitsugaya bit his lower lip, his chin resting between his thumb and pointer finger in a thoughtful pose. Both Soul Reapers had felt the strange disturbance of spiritual pressure in the World of the Living. It was an unsettling feeling, heavy, and chilling them to the bone. It wasn't the crawling sensation on his skin that troubled the Captain, however, it was the timing. Why so early? Autumn wasn't even half over yet.

"This is bad. Arrancars."

**A/N: So this was more of a buffer chapter and I wrote it over the span of a couple days, so sorry if it shows in the writing. As always, thanks for reading! **


	11. Chapter 11: The Second Time

**So sorry peeps for this ridiculously long wait time :( maybe it wasn't too long for you patient readers, but I am most certainly NOT patient when it comes to updating! Unfortunately, school is upon me and it's a bit tough to write every day, but hopefully the intervals between updates will be shorter! Not proofread, by the way, sorry I'm too lazy. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 11**

**The Second Time**

"Mmuargeh?" Mikan mumbled incoherently with her mouth hanging open. She had fallen asleep in the awkward position with her legs hanging off the side of her bed, so now they felt weird. Strands of her hair was plastered to her face on the side she had slept on yesterday. And she was disgustingly sure that was dried drool at the corner of her mouth.

Mikan quickly wiped it away and lifted her head to look at the clock on the white wooden nightstand next to the bed. The red numbers read _8:22, _which was far too early for her to get up on a Sunday, even though school was in session and required her to get up a whole hour earlier. Her head hit the bed again, one arm draped over her eyes in an effort to block the streaming rays of sunlight through her curtains.

She was already awake, however, and the cobwebs of that had covered her mind during sleep were beginning to disperse. Mikan huffed and removed the arm resting on her face. Her half- lidded eyes scanned the ceiling blankly, blinking every once in a while. Her mind felt tired, even after a night's rest, but it probably had more to do with all the emotional... disruptions she had dealt with yesterday.

Now that she was on the taboo topic again, perhaps heading out _without_ that blue- haired man was best. Even though he tended to wake up fairly earlier and lounge around in the kitchen, if she hurried getting ready, she could make it out the front door without having to come into contact with him.

Mikan pulled at the blankets that had wrapped around her, constricting her as if she were the meat in a burrito. Although she wanted to get up and moving, her bed was just so warm and comfy...

"Mikan!" The girl jerked in her cocoon of sheets from the sudden intrusion. With a loud bang, Urahara had flung open the door without a moment's notice. How typical.

"Whaddaya want?" She mumbled irritably, the corners of her mouth turning down. It was one thing to barge into her room as early as it was, even though she was already awake, but it was another thing not to have the decency to knock. Kisuke, she swore, sometimes he and that blue- haired idiot were cut from the same fabric.

Urahara chortled happily, which made Mikan narrow her eyes suspiciously. Someone sure had woken up on the right side of the bed. Unlike herself.

"Why so glum? Feeling the, _aftermath_, of yesterday's events?" The hatted man folded his arms against his chest and leaned in the doorway, crossing his long legs over one another.

Mikan suddenly felt like the blankets wrapped around her were suffocating her in a blazing inferno. Her legs hastily kicked them off, and she rolled over onto her stomach to face Urahara. "H- hey! Don't talk about that here!" Mikan ushered with a pink face, her hand gesturing at him to keep it down. The one and only former _sexta_ Espada was next door, and Mikan didn't want him to get the idea that the two were gossiping about him like a couple of schoolgirls. Well, Mikan was, but Urahara...

"Ah, don't worry about him hearing. He left early in the morning. I'm surprised you didn't notice since he was being kinda loud." Urahara spoke nonchalantly, waving his hand around lazily.

"What? He left?" He... had left them? To go where? A twist of fear and shock coiled deep inside Mikan, making her feel like her body had been dipped in icy water, numbing her to the bone. Had Grimmjow been so troubled as to have packed it up and left without so much as a goodbye? Why? Mikan didn't understand the bluenette's intentions the slightest. Her eyebrows knit together, mouth slack and slightly ajar.

He was gone?

Urahara arched a pale eyebrow at Mikan's silent figure. "I don't mean to say he left for good. He just said he was going to take a walk, that's all."

Enraged, Mikan slammed her hands down on the mattress like she was declaring war. "Why'd you have to say it like that?! What the hell, what's wrong with you!" She yelled at the smirking man. Bunching her tousled hair in her fists, Mikan hopped off the bed, walking past Urahara without a look back. She was practically foaming at the mouth for revenge against the cunning shop owner.

Urahara placed his hands on his hips and let out a hearty laugh. As Mikan retreated downstairs, he called after her, "I didn't expect you to take it in that sense. Do you want to talk it out with me?" A strangled call that bordered on animal- like was her response. Urahara grinned like the Cheshire cat, but was inwardly relieved at the girl's reluctance to talk her _feelings_ out with him. People may have called him a genius, but there were some things that he didn't have the first clue as to how to do.

He had a feeling everything would play out sooner or later, anyways. Whether it was a turn for the worst or better, he had no idea.

* * *

"Hmp. Stupid Grimmjow." Mikan grumbled and vicious stabbed a piece of leftover dinner rolls from last night. It was the first thing she saw in the fridge and the easiest to prepare, only needing microwaving. Popping the bread in his mouth, she chewed the food like a shredder, angrily glaring at the empty seat in front of her. She didn't even know why she was so mad; there was just a flickering fire in her eyes that wouldn't extinguish no matter how hard she tried to push the bluenette out of her mind. Obviously the saying, "out of sight, out of mind," was utter bull.

And what was that idiot thinking anyway?! What was Urahara thinking, letting him wander off when there were Soul Reapers on the hunt for an unknown reaitsu? It seemed Mikan was the only sane one left!

"Fuck." Mikan cursed and let her fork drop onto the plate with a loud clatter. After she had made a scene marching out of Urahara's sight, she had, moments later, realized she still needed to change and brush her teeth. The smug grin plastered on the man's face had been irking, to say the least.

A deep breath went in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her hair had been neatly braided into a braid, and her outfit was just as simple, composed of a snug and light pink long- sleeve, with plain white shorts. It wasn't like she was dressing to impress, really. _Really_.

"I'm a little hesitant letting you go out by yourself." Suddenly came a voice behind her. Mikan spun around like a top, hands flying up as if she had been caught red- handed at a crime scene. While her heart calmed itself down to normal, she said harshly, "Stop doing that! You're always catching me off guard." And tossing her head back, she added, "And I'll be fine. It seems you didn't have a problem with Grimmjow and _he's_ the one with the bounty on his head, not me."

The grin slipped off Urahara's face with Mikan's back to him. "I know."

Mikan opened her eyes, looking sideways even though she couldn't see him. With one eyebrow in her hairline, she left the back of the shop, stopping only once on her way out the door to tug on her usual oxfords.

Mikan bounded out the door, for the first time in a long time, not accompanied by Grimmjow. Maybe by both some fortunate and unfortunate stroke of luck, she'd run into Grimmjow. The chilly air caused goosebumps to dot over her bare legs and a shiver ran down her back. Summer may have been nearly over, but it was still a little early in the year for the weather to be so cool.

It wasn't unpleasant, however. In fact, Mikan thought she liked the sidewalks with only a handful of people walking around, as opposed to the bustling crowds in the afternoon, and the quiet streets with a car zooming by every so often, unlike the busy roads during rush hour. The thin fog that was nearly gone left the final touch, just barely fading Mikan's vision.

A small smile creased her face and she casually swept over her surroundings and across the street. It only took one glimpse for her eyes to lock onto the small, white- haired boy clad in Captain robes, walking at a break- neck pace while looking at a cell phone- like device.

Mikan halted in her tracks, her eyes following the kid. She had a good memory, she remembered who he was even without the outfit. The loud smacking of his shoes against the pavements rang out to Mikan only, the noise unheard by the other humans that leisurely walked past him. Without thinking, Mikan dropped the surprised look on her face and turned around to follow the Captain. Toshiro Hitsugaya, that was it. What was he doing? Was there a hollow nearby-?

Grimmjow.

He flashed across her mind like a lightning bolt and sent a chord of fear through her. What if it was Grimmjow's spiritual pressure the Captain was tracking down? Mikan's muscles were tense trying to keep up with the white- haired Soul Reaper. With her thumbs stuck inside her shorts pockets, she was ready to act like an unsuspecting human just in case Toshiro turned around. However, she was relying on the chance he wouldn't, since he had already met her and was more than likely to recognize her. As Toshiro rounded the corner across the street, Mikan glanced both ways before crossing the road to follow behind.

Mikan kept her head low, despite the fact that there weren't many people out and about to hide her. She kept a good space in between the two, her gaze focused on the black number sewn into the white fabric in front of her.

Toshiro suddenly paused, and Mikan scrambled to skid to a stop, with eyes like a deer caught in the headlight. Toshiro could turn around any moment and she would be nearly face- to- face with him. The abrupt stop caused a woman in front of her to nearly collide with Mikan is she hadn't jerked her shoulder sideways at the last second, adrenaline shooting through her veins.

"Sorry!" Mikan hissed and the woman shot a dirty look at her, readjusting the grip of her purse handle. Mikan rolled her eyes when the lady was out of sight, and when she looked back in front, so was Toshiro.

"Damn it!" Her head swiveled around for any sign of the Captain, for a flash of white, the sound of shoes clacking, but there was nothing. An anxious sigh escaped her lips and her shoes smacked down on the pavement to peek around the corner of an alley, but it was deserted. He must have flash- stepped away. And that meant he could have gone anywhere. Her hands balled into fists by her sides, the nails leaving crescent- shaped indents.

Mikan leaned against her left shoulder on the brick wall of the alleyway, uncaring at how grimy and dirty it was. She needed to relax, rethink things, since she didn't exactly get a chance to. Grimmjow might have gone back to Urahara Shop, Mikan didn't have her cell phone but it felt like at least thirty minutes had passed in addition to the time Grimmjow had already been away.

"Phew. Ok. It's ok, he's ok, ok." The word kept filtering back into her speech, like it was a panic- reliever, but it wasn't. It hardly put Mikan's queasiness to ease.

Trying to steady her still haggard breathing, Mikan took a deep breath and rolled her back against the wall to swing around the corner, only to let out a shriek and crash into the very person she had just been tailing.

Arms flailing, eyes wide, Mikan braced for the fall when Toshiro unexpectedly side-s tepped, so she stumbled past him and fell onto the pavement, the rough ground painfully scraping her knees.

"Damn, that hurt." Mikan said through clenched teeth. Her palms were flat against the concrete and pushed off to get herself into a somewhat more sensible standing position. Her lips bent into a shaky smile that couldn't have fooled the world's biggest idiot. And it certainly didn't get by the eyebrow- raising Captain.

"You're the girl I saw the other day. Care to tell me why you were following me?" He sure didn't beat around the bush. Although small and not even reaching up to her shoulders, the vertically challenged Captain emitted a sort of no- nonsense vibe that made Mikan feel like a misbehaving child.

"Uh, um, eh well, I... wasn't." She finished lamely. How pathetic. Mikan wanted to march back to the grimy alleyway and smash her face into the wall a couple times, just to get her brain to start functioning again.

Toshiro blinked once, his large teal eyes piercing through Mikan. Then he blinked again and crossed his arms, turning so the 10 on his haori was facing Mikan. "Never mind. I'm sure it's nothing to be too troubled about. Is your knee alright?" Mikan wanted to roll her eyes and stick her tongue at him, saying, _it's both knees know- it- all!_, but thought that was a good way to land herself in Soul Society prison. Or whatever happened to humans that insulted Captain- level Soul Reapers, but Mikan didn't think there was a very big list of to begin with.

"I'm ok." Mikan said automatically, even though tiny droplets of blood had started oozing out of the wounds. Not that it was anything life- threatening or anything of the sort.

She watched as Toshiro flipped open the cell phone- device again, looking at it for a moment before snapping it shut. "Looks like Rangiku took care of it then." He murmured, but just loud enough for Mikan to hear. Internally squirming, her curiosity was peaked and she just had to know.

"Took care of what?" She asked innocently. As if reading her thoughts, a snow- white eyebrow arched, head tilted towards her.

"Why do you ask?" The corner of his mouth pointed up. "Lose something?"

It was meant to be taken in a friendly way, perhaps as an apology for her injury, but Mikan had to force the laughter out of her throat. "Just curious is all."

Passerby were starting to look at her funny. To them, she was talking to something just below her eye- level, like a nutcase straight out of the loony bin. It was probably time to go, before someone hauled her to the E.R.

Before she could open her mouth to tell him, though, Toshiro walked away from her, nodding his head once before disappearing into thin air.

Mikan let out a deep breath, her shoulders slumping as she turned the corner to walk home. That had been one hell of a leisurely walk, but all joking aside, she should really get home quick, just to make sure Grimmjow was there and not still strolling around. His eye tattoos and wicked blue hair were bound to attract attention.

_Just like they attract me_, Mikan thought with a lopsided grin. It slipped off instantly and she perked up. No, _no_. She had to being so infatuated with the former Espada. It would only bring bad tides if she were to be caught up with him, even though it was so easy to. He would never really be in love with a human, anyway. Not him.

The return back seemed a lot longer than when she was heading out, but maybe that was because she wasn't in a near- run anymore. Mikan nudged the door open with her foot and looked back at it to toe it shut. She took a deep breath and held it in so her cheeks were full of air. Closing her eyes for a moment, she opened them up to half- mast when she took a sharp intake of breath and the air in her mouth made a strange noise and caught her off gaurd, causing her to start coughing with her hands on her knees.

Urahara grinned wickedly behind the fan he held with two fingers. Giving one last cough, Mikan brushed the wisps of hair that had escaped the braid and pointed accusingly at the man.

"I told you not to do that anymore!" She said angrily, dark hazel eyes glinting with malice and annoyance. They remained trained on Urahara and she purposely ignored the other person in the shop, whom was currently picking up various candies, looking at them with mild interest, and then placing them back on the shelves.

"How'd you get hurt?" Urahara asked suddenly, snapping his fan shut with a snap. Like the true responsible adult he was, Urahara didn't seem too concerned about the severity of the injuries and sounded more curious than anything. Mikan's eyes wandered to the left and then down at her bare feet with a sudden intense interest.

"I, uh, fell." And that was the truth. If Urahara knew she had been following that Soul Society Captain around, she'd never live to see the sun again, regardless of how nonchalant Urahara seemed.

There was a silence when the rummaging Grimmjow had been doing stopped. He sat back cross- legged behind Urahara, hands in his lap like a little kid, and looked at Mikan at the corner of his eyes. It was just luck Mikan happened to glance up at him, and their stares locked onto each other.

White- hotness flowed through Mikan's veins, setting her aflame. Her toes gripped the wooden floor hard and her face lit up like a Christmas tree the longer she looked into Grimmjow's cornflower blue eyes. Unlike her, Grimmjow was unreadable. His eyes were as steely and hard as prison bars, and guarded whatever he was thinking twice as well. Slightly hooded with, Mikan had never realized them and was instantly jealous, long eyelashes framing them, she could've spent all day watching them like a creep. And the slight downturn of his mouth just made him seem more attractive. How could anyone be so good- looking? It was unfair and unjust to the rest of the average- looking population, Mikan included. Her tongue was starting to stick to the roof of her dry mouth, so she peeled it off and swallowed a couple times, trying to make her throat work again.

It was him who looked away first. He leaned back onto his hands and opted to survey the shelves of candy instead of continuing the intense stare- down with Mikan. A heavy pressure settled on her chest, but she ignored the sinking feeling. She was starting to get used to it.

"You know, Orihime went to the Soul Society to train with Rukia. No one knows where Ichigo is, but I'm pretty sure he's off training somewhere. Renji and Chad are downstairs fighting, and Uryuu's who- knows- where. Everyone's getting ready." Urahara told Mikan who wrung her hands and shifted from foot to foot. "I'm serious when I say this, Mikan, but you can't go running off on your own anymore. You can don't have to see them to feel it, can't you? The growing number of hollows."

Mikan straightened her back some, actually not knowing hollows were frequenting Karakura town more than usual. Was it because the war was getting closer and Aizen wanted to overload them with hollows before striking for real?

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and rested his head on his right shoulder. "Figures. I'm stuck in this shitty gigai while Kurosaki gets the chance to run off and cry in a corner." He snorted. Urahara turned towards the sitting bluenette and brought his fan down on his bed of unruly blue hair, hard.

"Ow! Damn, what was that for!" Grimmjow whined, covering his head with his hands in case of any more surprise hits. A wide smile spread across Urahara's face, obviously finding Grimmjow's pain sadistically humorous.

"As I was saying, there's no telling what's going to happen next, but be prepared for the worst. Also," Urahara tilted his head down so his eyes were completely shielded by his hat, "have you been doing your homework?" He asked ominously.

Mikan wanted to collapse onto the floor and scream. It was funny how a thing like school and homework still existed and she was still obligated to continue her studies, even when there was an ever- looming possibility the world was going to be obliterated and destroyed by a twisted being not even human. Funny, and a pain in the ass.

"Yeah, whatever, but I'm not doing his for him!" Mikan shouted, crossing her arms as she walked past the two of them.

"Not my problem. But if he gets anything below a B minus, I'm adding two more days to your boxing lessons!" Urahara said in a sing- song voice. The person of topic, Grimmjow, didn't even look remotely interested in joining the conversation. He got up with a grunt, stretching his neck from side to side as he moved towards the door connecting the shop to the living space behind it.

Mikan could hear him nearly behind her, so she quickly opened the door, slamming it shut behind her. When she didn't hear it close, she retreated further back into into the kitchen, on a mission to head for her room where she could study for the quiz she had on Tuesday.

Grimmjow's narrowed eyes watched her speed- walk down the hall and up the stairs, and he followed close behind. The girl had always been weird, but now she was acting even stranger than usual. Grimmjow wasn't stupid, he could put two and two together, but did that mean-?

He scoffed lightly, lowered eyes peering around the top of the stairs just in time to see her door close. His lips pressed into a line and he took the few steps to stand outside the door.

What the fuck was he doing?

Grimmjow got ready to turn away, his lip already curling in disgust at himself, but then he froze, stopping half- swivel on the pads of his feet. As if it had a mind of its own, his hand reached for the doorknob, gently resting on the cold metal.

What was he supposed to say? Was there anything he had to say, anyway? Grimmjow let his eyes roam around the empty hall, trying to think about anything but the hand that was on the doorknob. It didn't work. He felt so fucking pitiful for himself, it was embarrassing. But his usually cold and ruthless conscience was telling him to say something to her. Her behavior wasn't sitting well with him, in a way he couldn't understand and hated.

He let out a small puff of air, quietly leaning against the wood door so the hand on the doorknob was behind his back. He had never done anything like this before,and was sure he would regret it later, but before he could change his mind, using the knuckles on his free hand, he softly knocked twice.

Nothing happened. Just as Grimmjow's grim line of a mouth had started shaping into a snarl, the surface he was leaning o suddenly caved in. He lost his footing for a second, and on the other side of the door, Mikan was suddenly startled when the door had begun opening with a lot more force than she had anticipated. Grimmjow gripped the door frame and, pausing momentarily to grind his back teeth together, stuck his head in, his wild blue locks entering first.

Mikan cocked her head questioningly and he pinned her down with a look of... annoyance? Weariness? Confusion? Mikan was grasping for straws at the reason behind Grimmjow's sudden visit. Not that she didn't have a faint inkling, but the air was steadily getting more thick and cold with awkwardness.

Grimmjow lowered his eyelids a fraction of a centimeter, the movement almost looking like he was softening his gaze. Mikan couldn't really be sure, and she parted her lips to speak, but he beat her to it.

"Your knees alright?" He asked out of the blue. Mikan's mouth twitched, a grin threatening to break over. She had almost forgotten about the scrapes and they didn't hurt anymore, but she supposed she should clean them anyway, in case it got infected.

"I guess." One shoulder rose and fell in a shrug. It wasn't like him to be wondering about her well- being, and Mikan thought she preferred the wilder, louder side of him in comparison to the tight- lipped, quiet one standing before her. Not that she didn't enjoy his presence, because she did, but part of her wanted him to get out so she could go cry in a corner.

Mikan watched as one of his hands nestled in his hair, absentmindedly running through it and basically just making it look like blue fire. If there was a freak- of- the- year award, Mikan would have gladly accepted it, because she fucking _loved_ that crazy hair.

"Go get it cleaned up or it's going to get infected and shit." He said bluntly, turning towards the door, ready to leave without really accomplishing anything. Mikan propped a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow. "Huh? Since do you care about me?" She had genuinely been curious to hear his answer, but the question came out harsher than intended, and she saw Grimmjow visibly stiffen, one hand gripping the edge of the door.

"Well fuck, never mind then." He spat out over his shoulder. Mikan instantly regretted her words and one hand reached out to him, just a brush away from his well- defined shoulder under the black T- shirt he was wearing.

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I'm-" She started, but Grimmjow just scoffed and let go of the wooden edge, turning next door for his room.

_Don't go_, Mikan thought sadly and almost pitied herself, when she lunged forward and grabbed the back of his shirt. Startling blue eyes whipped around at her, staring daggers.

"Whaaat now?" He said, dragging out the A. Mikan pressed her lips together and started to relax her death grip on his shirt. Then, as if a new thought had come over her, she readjusted her grip and stepped closer to Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, please tell me something. Why did you... kiss me? I want to know." _More like you need to know_, Mikan thought, internally cringing at how weak her voice sounded. But she did need to know, no matter how cheesy it sounded, how Grimmjow really felt. And if he didn't have any interest, then it was pack her bags, stamp her passport, and _hasta la vista_ Grimmjow.

For a second split thinner than hair, his eyes widened and his lips parted, the only things revealing his shock and terror. Fuck _oh fuck_, what was he supposed to say? He didn't want all of this pansy- ass feeling talk, and in hindsight he had been foolish to think it would have just been a quick peck on the lips when it came to the human girl. He didn't want to talk anything out, and he certainly didn't need it.

But. Damn his stupid conscience. It was gnawing him alive from the inside out.

Grimmjow's eyebrows knit together and he enclosed Mikan's small wrist in his large hand. "Whaddaya want me to say? Sorry? Because there's no way in hell I'm apologizing for something I didn't even do wrong."

Mikan let out a soft laugh that sounded more like an exhale. "I wouldn't expect you to. Maybe you already know, but," She said boldly and inched forward another step. Grimmjow's breathing was starting to speed up. He was feeling like he was cornered, something that had never, _ever_, happened to him. His eyes darted to her wrist in his hand to her face, which were getting much too close for comfort. It was like an icy feeling of deja vu was washing over him. What was this girl? She was crazy, insane...

"You're fucking crazy." He half- whispered, more to himself than her, but Mikan heard and laughed anyway. He didn't sound too convinced, especially since he had started leaning forward too, which Mikan took as a good sign. _Maybe things are going to work out after all_, Mikan thought with a content smile. Her eyelids slid shut and she leaned forward to meet her lips with-

Nothing.

The grip on her wrist suddenly was gone, and she found her hand grabbing nothing. In a flurry, her eyes flew open to a sudden breeze, just barely catching a glimpse of sky blue hair disappearing behind a door.

"I'm... feeling tired. Just go away for now." Came the slightly muffled voice of Grimmjow on the other side.

She was alone in the hallway and standing with her arm still outstretched in the air. It slowly returned to her side as she stared and Grimmjow's door with narrowed eyes.

He had gotten cold feet? Right before they had been about to kiss for the second time?! Grimmjow Jeagerjacques had fled like a Cinderella in distress, and Mikan was insanely peeved off about it, her her teeth clenched with a twitch in her jaw.

Taking shaky, slow deep breaths, Mikan counted to 10 before walking away with her hands clenched in fists. There was one last angry braid- toss before Mikan stormed down the stairs, letting the residents of the shop know she wasn't in the best of moods.

Mikan was halfway down the stairs with her upper lip curled up when she had an epiphany. With a new mission on her mind, she spun on her heel, marching back up the stairs and around the corner in front of Big Blue's door.

"Grimmjow, y- you... get out here! Stop hiding under your covers like a big baby!" Mikan shouted, banging on the door until her knuckles started hurting. It had been barely a minute of rapping when, miraculously, it opened, revealing a grumpy bluenette.

"Shut the hell up!" He yelled into her face. Mikan stood her ground, glaring finely- sharpened daggers up at him.

"You know what? You are so aggravating, but the funny thing is, I actually like it! I like when you annoy me, so does that make me crazy? Huh? And you want to know something else, Grimmjow?" Mikan ranted, not once taking a breath or blinking, which deeply unnerved Grimmjow. "I don't even know anything about you and I want to! What is it you are so unwilling to say? Damn, Grimmjow, just please tell me."

He was at a loss for words. The day was going so out of control for him, he had no idea where to begin. The girl was waiting for his reply with one hand on the door, ready to push it back if he were to close it. When did things get so humanoid for him? It had probably been the moment the girl had found him, way back to that time he had nearly bled out from all his wounds.

And then what happened? He hated the World of the Living. In some ways, he still did. He was an arrancar at heart and lived for the glory of triumphing over opponents, relishing the sound of the clash zanpakuto made against one another. When was the last he had gripped the blue- patterned hilt of _Pantera_? He had become way too lax over the last few days, not that he could help it much. After all, he vaguely remembered human bodies had soft, easily- injured skin, unlike the hierro he had as an arrancar.

"Geez. You could basically call me a damn human." He scoffed, pulling Mikan's arm through the gap in the door. Her caramel- brown eyes lit up, and this time, her eyes closed again in bliss when she felt his soft lips against hers.

**A/N: I'm sorry *-* I just can't help writing all that mushy romance! If you didn't like it, let me know! If you did, let me know! Again, thanks for the wait, hopefully this somewhat satisfied you guys. As always, thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12: Commence

**Yay peeps, finally a speedy update. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 12**

**Commence**

The last thing Mikan saw before she closed her eyes was Grimmjow's face, eyes hooded and watching her carefully. She hoped he was doing, because she sure as hell didn't. Did arrancars engage in romantic relationships with each other? The thought hazily drifted over her mind before it vanished completely. After all, she had slightly more important matters to tend to at the moment.

It didn't really matter that Grimmjow wasn't a very good kisser. His lips were barely raised, and he made no attempt to engage in deeper kissing. When Mikan tentatively pressed her lips against Grimmjow's a little harder, he murmured, "Why do humans do this? What's the point?"

One coffee- colored eye peeped open. Mikan opened the other and leaned away from Grimmjow, although close enough so she was still within arms- reach of him. A giddy smile curled onto her face and she gave a light laugh. He really was too cute for his own good, and at the moment seemed (with seemed being the key word) almost innocent. Although she knew the feeling was dangerous, she felt as if she would swim across the ocean if he had asked. Bravely taking one of Grimmjow's baseball- mitt hands in both of her own small ones, she tilted her head to the side.

"Don't you know what a kiss is? It's a way to show you like someone, or maybe even lov-" Mikan's words were swiftly cut through like a butcher knife through butter when a low growl was emitted from Grimmjow. He had snatched his hand back and stuck both into his pockets, shoulders slightly slouched angrily.

What was his deal? Mikan felt slightly taken back at the rude behavior he had just displayed, and didn't have a clue as to what had triggered it. Was it something she had said...?

"But do you _think_ I'm a fucking human? Do you think I _want_ to feel pathetic and unnecessary emotions like '_love_'?" The words were brutal and harsh, stinging into Mikan's skin. Suppressing a flinch at his tone, she desperately tried to calm herself down by curling her toes against the floor. She was baffled at his behavior. He had been the one to initiate both kisses, so why was he being so dramatic?

He continued his rant. "I don't have a single fucking _idea_ what I'm going to do about this damn war. You wanna know something?" He asked rhetorically. Mikan didn't answer anyway. "My only goal as the sixth Espada was to become the king, the strongest arrancar in existence! And I worked fucking hard for that title, devouring thousands of hollows, climbing my way to the top. And then that bastard Aizen had to come along and ruin _everything_. So here I am now, stuck in a pathetic human body in the Real World. It makes me sick to think how weak I've become." Grimmjow said the last part softer, although with the same level of intensity and venom as the rest of the speech. Mikan, on the other hand, was speech_less. _

"Grimmjow, I-"

"Damn it all!" The bluenette yelled, half at the girl and half at himself for losing control so badly. He hated what he had become. He whirled around and struck the wall with his right fist, making a small crater indent in the white paint. His other hand joined his left, leaving more spiderweb cracks. His hands throbbed with pain and as he slowly uncurled them, something slick was on them, but he could hardly feel it, and cared even less. There was a kindling fire inside of him that long before, had been black and empty. And, like quicksand, the more he tried pulling himself out of the roaring inferno, the more it consumed him, making escape impossible. And he loathed the feeling of not knowing what to do, in fact he despised it even more than he did so losing, which was saying millions.

But he didn't hate _her_.

Mikan's eyebrows were knit together in response at the obviously distraught blue- head. Why was he always so difficult to communicate with? He always had to take the long way around, choosing to go the path with the most curves and bumps. She understood it wasn't his nature, and probably seemed demeaning to him, to engage in _talking things out_, but it would've been nice to actually know for sure how he felt. And Mikan didn't want to keep waiting for him to come around the bend, because she was getting tired of the same game.

"I'm going to leave now." Mikan said abruptly, piercing the silence. She turned stiffly and awkwardly to leave, completely intent on exiting the room in order to give the two of them space and time to solve things out, since lately it seemed everything but peace and communication was written in the stars.

The timing was critical. If any of the Espada, or even Ichigo, had seen the look on Grimmjow's face when he turned his head just in time to see Mikan step out, they would have doubled over, laughing. Ulquiorra included. Nnoitra especially. Grimmjow's startling blue eyes were wide like caught- in- the- headlights- deer eyes. He knew he didn't want Mikan to leave, the words "_don't leave_" were pounding loud in his head. But surely, if he were to submit to the human emotions that had lay buried under thousands of years of hollow instincts, he could no longer call himself as such.

What was there to lose? To gain? He wasn't an Espada anymore, so was he just another run- of- the- mill arrancar now? sealed the night he a human, a disgustingly weak human, inferior to the race of hollows. He loved power and being known for thorough ruthlessness so much, was he willing to trade his old lifestyle in for just a mortal woman?

It would almost have been comical the way Grimmjow craned his neck to see Mikan walk down the hall, if it weren't for the situation. He shook his nest of blue locks in disgust at himself, closed his eyes for a moment to mentally curse at himself, and lifted his feet. Ignoring the stings of pain that came from his knuckles, he gripped the edge of the door frame and pushed off of it to hurtle himself into the hallway that Mikan was walking down.

Her unusually stoic eyes widened in surprise as Grimmjow's own baseball- shaped ones locked onto hers. In the rush, he had lost his footing and had a one- way ticket to the floor.

"H- hey!" Mikan held her hands out in front of her hesitantly, unsure if he was going to regain his footing or not. When it became clear the six- foot bluenette was not going to, she let out a shriek and squeezed her eyes closed, bracing herself for the hard wood to meet her face. But instead, there was a sudden change of speed in her fall- when at the last second, something had been placed at the small of her back and had made the impact not quite as painful. The unexpected help caused her head to lightly smack the floor, and now something was uncomfortably lodged between her and the wood, but there was relatively no pain. She relaxed her face and arms when she heard heavy breathing above her that was definitely not her own.

Grimmjow had one arm crushed beneath her, which explained what had cushioned her fall, and the other arm was bent at the elbow, positioned next to the left of her head. His face was unnecessarily close to her own, so much so that she could faintly smell the minty toothpaste he used, and could hear his slowing breathing.

_When she had said she wanted to get closer to Grimmjow, she hadn't meant it this way... _

"Che. You're such a klutzy dumbass." Grimmjow said softly, although without any of the usual scorn that was laced in his comments. Mikan figured such a tender tone had cost him an arm, leg, and what manly pride he had left, so she gave him with a light and chaste kiss on the cheek. It was swift and sure, and he hadn't been prepared for it. Struggling to regain his composure, it wasn't until Mikan started awkwardly untangling their legs that he finally realized he was preventing her from getting up.

Grimmjow pushed himself off the floor with a grunt, pulling out the arm that had been trapped under Mikan. She rose up into a sitting position, looking at Grimmjow, who was sitting with one leg bent, an arm resting on the knee. Mikan's eyes darted to his hand where the knuckles looked painfully bloodied. Gasping, she quickly inched forward with her hands on her knees.

"H- hey, you're hurt!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Came Grimmjow's sarcastic remark. He nonchalantly lifted his hands and looked at them for a second before carelessly tossing them in front of his lap. Mikan gave a sound of protest at the ill treatment of his body. How could anyone be so disregarding of their own injuries? Grimmjow was so stupid. "If you think this is bad, you haven't seen shit. I'll live." He said with his trademark shark- tooth smile creeping back on. Mikan rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up. She hadn't seen that psychotic grin she loved so much for a while.

"Are you forgetting the time you were almost dead? And I know you won't listen to a word I say about getting that disinfected and cleaned up."

Grimmjow scoffed lightly and let his eyes roam around the hall. "Damn right." He muttered. Through the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Mikan, who had been staring intently at him the entire time. The look she gave him made his blood freeze and lifted the small hairs at the nape of his neck. He faced her and gave a look like she had just started break dancing in the middle of the hallway.

Mikan smiled sweetly and gave a cheerful laugh. "I still think you're the strongest arrancar I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

His hand twitched. Didn't she know that it had been as hard as nails for him to have exposed himself so completely? But of course she didn't, she was always like that- carefree when there was a reason to be crying and worrying when she was better off not caring.

"I'm the only arrancar you've _ever_ met." He said by barely opening his mouth, but loud enough that Mikan could hear. A single laugh bubbled from her, and soon a whole helluva of laughs ensued. Her eyes were shut tightly and her mouth was wide open, letting the obnoxiously loud sound bounce off the narrow hallway. She couldn't stop laughing, even though what Grimmjow had said wasn't anything particularly funny. Her shoulders shook and she had to wrap her arms around her midriff in an attempt to stop the biting pains there.

When finally her boisterous laughter had subsided, she said, "I- I- sorry. Oh my goodness." Mikan took a shaky deep breath, swiping a finger under her eyes to wipe away the light moisture that had been left there. With a deep sigh, she looked at Grimmjow again, who seemed very interested in tracing patterns on the floor with his finger. A final chuckle was all that was left of Mikan's sudden laugh attack. Electric blue eyes looked up at her through blue- dusted eyelashes.

"You ok?" It wasn't a serious question. He could see the girl was alright on the outside, it was more her mental health he was concerned about. He almost wondered if his decision had been the right one, but a closer study at her was all he needed for reassurance. Not that he would admit it, of course. After all, he could only fall so low.

Mikan's head bobbed up and down happily. She was more than alright; she was bursting at the seams with the desire to wrap her arms around Grimmjow's neck and swing back and forth, but had the feeling he wouldn't particularly enjoy being used as personal monkey bars.

She settled, instead, for folding her legs under her and placing her hands on Grimmjow's sturdy shoulders, leaning forward to give him yet another kiss. He didn't resist it, and, in fact, closed the gap between their awaiting mouths. The kiss was different, though, and was more _real_ than all the ones before. There was substance in it, although there was still a lack of cooperation from Grimmjow, Mikan could feel something behind it. His lips were warm, and hers felt cool. The sensation was unlike anything Mikan had ever experienced before, but definitely something she could get used to. During the lip lock, the tips of their noses touched as if greeting one another. It was a clean kiss, short and sweet, and nothing could have felt better. Mikan was the one to end it, and even though she had no qualms about spending the rest of the day smooching Grimmjow, she knew not setting limits was a surefire way to end up doing nothing productive.

Again, she didn't necessarily have any qualms about that.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that-"

"Shh." A long finger pressed against Mikan's grinning lips, silencing her. She blinked once, questioningly watching Grimmjow's rarely adorned expression of seriousness, his eyebrows drawn together, mouth pressed into a tight line. He seemed to either be listening for something, or waiting, and Mikan was still waiting for an explanation when Grimmjow quickly stood up, hauling Mikan up by her upper arm. The smile slipped off her face when she noticed the agitated way he was looking around, eyes directed towards the ceiling and searching for something Mikan couldn't see.

"What? What's wrong?"

"No, we need to go find that fucking shady store owner right damn now." Grimmjow snapped, and was about to fly down the stairs when mere inches from his face, an intense red balla rocketed past, blasting through the interior walls from an unknown point from the outside.

* * *

"Who's there?" The guard on her right called out into the darkness, momentarily pausing in their run from the Soul Society to the Real World. Orihime took the time to steady her breathing, wheat- gray eyes darting around to look for what had caused the zipper- like noise behind them. A creeping sense of dread was slowing making its way to her heart when she vaguely remembered a similar- sounding noise...

"Only two guards? I would have expected the Soul Society to realize that a person is most vulnerable when traveling." Came a voice from what seemed to be a tear in the space in front of them. Unlike the two Soul Reapers beside her, Orihime recognized it immediately as a garganta. And stepping out was none other than the _cuatro_ Espada.

"Who are-" He hadn't even finished his sentence when suddenly, he was turned to dust, not even a scream or single piece of hair was left behind. The cero had been fired so quick, there was no way either Orihime's naked eye or the average- par eyesight of the Soul Reaper could have seen it. This wasn't supposed to happen. Fear struck deep and resonated throughout Orihime, paralyzing her to the spot until she saw the remaining guard take a defensive stance.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with him!" He said confidently, in a voice that made Orihime want to cringe with worry. Besides being severely out- experienced, the man had no idea just _who _and_ what_ he was going up against.

"No! No, don't hurt him-" Orihime said to first the Soul Reaper, and then to the Espada, but with a flash of green light and a grunt, the man was thrown back several feet, collapsing as his back hit the hard wall of the senkaimon. Orihime took a shaky step back when she realized it was just left with her and those haunting green eyes.

"If it's me you want, then there was no need to hurt them." She said in a trembling voice. Her fingers lightly touched the blue hair clips at her temples, activating her santen kesshun. The two healing fairies came to life, glowing bright and crossing over one another's path to pitch an orange dome over the man that had been left alive. Even Orihime knew that there was no chance for the first one, the one who had been vaporized. Her powers were handy, but came with a limit, one she had yet to break.

Ulquiorra walked towards her, hands casually stuck in his pockets. Around him, facing the orange- headed girl, screens with pictures of her friends flickered around. One displayed Ichigo in tattered Soul Reaper clothes, running out of a building that Orihime knew he had been training in. She had to assume his damaged clothing was a result of his training, not because of a scuffle with the enemy. On another screen, Urahara Shop was shown, smoke billowing out from the roof. Through a window on the second floor, Orihime could see flashes of blue and heard the faint shouting of voices. What was going on?

"Orihime Inoue." Ulquiorra spoke emotionless, his piercing green eyes betraying not a shred of his thoughts as he stared at Orihime. "If you do not wish to see your friends dead, then come with me. This is not a request, it is an order. I do not want to hear anything besides yes." Ulquiorra stated.

Orihime hands shook and she clasped them in front of her in an effort to stop the trembling. She almost wanted to ask why, but bit her tongue instead. Ulquiorra had made it crystal clear she was not to utter nothing besides, "yes." But the question burned in her mind, what did Aizen want with someone like her? How could she possibly agree to go willingly into the den of the enemy?

And then there was a feeling just as strong, if not stronger, as the reluctance to leave with the dark- haired man standing quietly in front of her. Now that she knew her friends were engaged in fights, battles that had been created because of her, every fiber of her being was tense with guilt and heartache sadness. Everybody was risking their lives for the sake of her meager own. And the weight of that reality was too heavy for her shoulders.

Letting her hands drop to her sides, Orihime's lips parted slightly. She didn't even have to say anything for her expected agreement to be understood by the somber Espada.

Ulquiorra's jade green eyes flickered to the side, where the unconscious Soul Reaper was under the tarp of healing powers. "Let's go."

**A/N: Gah, no matter what all the haters say, Ulqui is one of my fav Espadas :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for more, because things are about to become very saucy in the pot of If You Stay! No idea what that means, but thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13: Plan Unraveled

**Grimm might be a little OOC in this, but does that even matter, since this is a _fanfiction_ site? Anyways, sorry if you don't like them, but there's another OC! POV changes too, so let's see if you can keep up...enjoy...**

**Chapter 13**

**Plan Unraveled**

There was something, probably dust or some other kind of small debris, in her eyes, so she kept them tightly shut, and impatiently waited for her eyes' natural reaction to flush out the minuscule pain. Her shaky hands randomly patted what felt like the walls, like a blind person. Her heart was pounding uncomfortably hard, a light sweat was breaking out on the back of her neck, and her legs just _wouldn't stop shaking, dammit. _

"Grimmjow?" Mikan said in a hoarse voice, like there was a frog lodged in her throat. She cleared his several times, and while she was at it, decided, clean hands be screwed, rubbed her eyes vigorously.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?!" Shouted a gruff voice behind her. Mikan forced her eyes open, even though they were still stinging, and nearly sighed in relief when her vision was met with the blue- haired man. Grimmjow, And it was at that time when she finally saw the damage that had been done to Urahara Shop.

The two of them had been more than shocked when an intense red, cero- like ball had whizzed by Grimmjow's face, barely a hairsbreadth away. It was also not anticipated when the severed wall structures started to crumble and collapse. Mikan herself was about to shout out to the bluenette in front of her, blocking the stairs, when he had reached behind to grab her wrist and force her, none too gently, down the stairs first. And that was when the second red ball was blasted through the walls again, sending billowing clouds of dust into both their visions. And it was then that Mikan had painfully tumbled down the rest of the stairs, landing in an ungraceful heap at the bottom. Standing up had been harder than she imagined, with her knees trembling like two flimsy noodles, and her back giving sharp pangs of what was sure to be bruising come the Monday morning.

_If she lived till then._

What was even happening? Had it really begun, then? The Winter War? Mikan tried to make sense of the situation, but then Grimmjow locked one of her wrists in an iron- grip, practically dragging her through the unrecognizable mess that was Urahara Shop. She heard him mutter a swear under his breath, and then the steel case on her wrist loosened, and Grimmjow pitched forward.

A sound of surprise came from Mikan and she held one of her hands out in front of her as if to catch him, but the bluenette was already rising from the ground. A tingling, but not necessarily uncomfortable, sensation swept over Mikan's arms and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. She didn't even need the feeling to realize what had happened, since her eyes swept over his black and white attire, a blue sword hilt jutting out from his hip. Grimmjow nudged aside his gigai with a look of irritation, and then turned to Mikan.

"What are you- hey!" Strong arms wrapped around her midsection, and there wasn't so much as a warning before Mikan's stomach dropped to the ground, a nauseous feeling lurching inside her as Grimmjow sonido-ed the two of them away.

* * *

"Would you tell me what the hell is going on!" Mikan spat vehemently at the equally as pissed off ex- Espada. Although she had been grateful to be feel her feet planted back on solid ground, her head was having felt like she had just slid down a 20- story high swirly side and she was still swaying dangerously heavy from side to side. It didn't help that the air was thick and humid, like before there was a heavy downpour. The looming gray clouds on the horizon fit the bill perfectly, as well as the situation at hand. What had happened to the previously blue skies mere hours ago?

Able to semi- comprehend where they were, her heart near leaped out of her rib cage when she realized they were at the top of a building. Not just any buildling, but one so high up it made her skin crawl just peering over the edge. Mikan quickly retreated, staying away from it as if it were fire, and instead she rounded up on the other person there.

Seeing him in his Espada uniform again through her off a little when she noticed how nice he looked in it, but it wasn't the time to be admiring his toned upper body. Instead, she repeated her previous question.

Grimmjow's electric eyes narrowed and pierced through her. "Didn't you fucking feel it? There are _Espadas_ and _even more_ Soul Reapers here! We would've been screwed if we'd stayed there longer!" His answer put her inquiries about the situation to ease, but her the corners of her mouth couldn't help but twitch at the pronoun.

"But what about Urahara? And Yoruichi? Jinta and Ururu were all there too! And what about _you_?" Mikan said with wide eyes. She wasn't dense, she could tell Grimmjow was going off to fight, but at what cost? What if the Soul Reapers mistook him for the enemy? The thought of him leaving and not coming back- it made her eyes start prickling, and this time not because of the dust. Grimmjow merely glared at the concrete ground, grinding his teeth together and contemplating something Mikan didn't know. His hands at his sides tightened into balls, and he lifted his eyes to look at Mikan.

"Just stay here, ok? I mean it, don't go lookin' for damn trouble!" He said sternly, eyes blazing. His sudden change in attitude had Mikan taken back, but she recovered swiftly with a retort that had just as much bite to it.

"Grimmjow, _I'm_ serious too. Don't freaking do anything reckless!" She felt like tearing her hair out when she saw him smirk a little. Her words just had to be falling on deaf ears, and it wasn't like he listened to her half the time anyway. Although she knew she was starting to sound like a whiny brat, getting answers out of the currently tight- lipped bluenette was like squeezing toothpaste out when there was only a little left. Difficult, to say the least.

She was utterly dumbstruck when Grimmjow suddenly put one of his hands behind her head and brought it to his chest, although there was nothing soft or tender about the action. The other hand settled on her shoulder and she felt something feather- light on the top of her head. Despite her previous anger, her heart was fluttering like a caged hummingbird now. She didn't even need an explanation, because she would have gladly stayed wrapped up like that if he had asked.

Some things were just impossible though. Grimmjow lightly pushed her away, and Mikan already missed his arms around her. She looked to him for explanation, anything, but his back was turned to her.

"I'm serious. Don't leave." He reiterated, softer than before, and promptly vanished with the blunt sound of a sonido. He was gone faster than anything Mikan could have said. She supposed it wasn't in his nature, but a goodbye would've been reassuring, and at least she would have had the chance to say her own before he left. How could she know he would be back? The seed of despair was planted in her mind and she just couldn't shake it loose.

But then again, there was no other alternative to that blue- haired freak coming back. Grimmjow was strong, he could- no, he _would_ win. But whom would he fight against? Would it be the arrancars or Soul Reapers? Anxious foreboding clouded Mikan's mind as she sat down with her legs under her. When the first clap of thunder made itself heard, she wondered if it was even safe to be sitting at the top of a _very_ tall building. She felt like a waiting conductor for the lightning to strike.

Mikan whimpered to herself and shifted her position so she could bring her knees up to her chest. Every noise, every distant rumble of thunder seemed magnified by ten times. She felt alone, practically a sitting duck out in the open, prone to attacks at any given moment, but supposed it was a better alternative than Urahara Shop, which had already been targeted. Speaking of which, she had no idea of knowing whether or not the shop keeper and the others were safe. Urahara and Yoruichi gave her less concern, it was the two children, Jinta and Ururu, who had her gut twisting in trepidation. But she had to think optimistically, didn't she?. After all, she had no other way to protect herself, no powers to be able to protect them but the benefit of her doubt.

Small, light pricks of rain dropped from above, and soon turned into a heavy, torrent that instantly soaked Mikan to the bone. It just _had_ to start pouring the moment Mikan was left by herself, out in the open, on top of a building and with nothing overhead to prevent her from getting drenched, didn't it? Her teeth started chattering like a jackhammer, the thin long sleeve she was wearing doing nothing to block out the chilling autumn weather along with the cold rain. Mikan tightened her arms around her legs, mentally beating herself up over wearing shorts.

Something she felt more than the cold, though, was the loneliness. Mikan wanted to know what was going on, but she obeyed Grimmjow's commands because she knew she would just get in the way.

So she let herself turn into a living prune in the rain, her senses gone so numb and her mind so occupied in her thoughts that she didn't even feel the impending force of a nearing spiritual pressure.

* * *

_It's fucking raining?_ He thought irritably when the first droplets hit his face. Grimmjow didn't particularly hate the rain, but he definitely didn't fantasize the idea of fighting in wet clothing. And if there was one pet peeve that pissed him off more than anything, it was fighting in wet clothes.

He muttered a swear under his breath and focused on sonidoing instead. The sound of wind skating past his ears, the familiar feeling of his jacket whipping against his upper body, the rush of adrenaline and anticipation for the upcoming fight, they all fit him like a worn glove. Grimmjow flexed his hands and wondered how long it had been since he'd fired a cero. A week? Two? However long it was, it had been too long, and he was itching for a good spar.

A slight frown tugged at his corners when his mind ambled back to the girl he had left on the building. The rain was starting to get heavier and he didn't recall any form of shelter on the flat slab of concrete. Then he shook his head, feeling disgusted at himself for acting like a mother hen. Damn, why did he care about that little human so much? Grimmjow rested a hand over an eye and closed both of them, clearing his mind and getting rid of the uncomfortable nagging feeling in the back of his mind. That girl was fine where she was and it wasn't his problem anyways, so running his thoughts about it wouldn't do a single damn thing.

Grimmjow scoffed and flew the air with his eyes still closed. He had released his pesquisa, and a familiar spiritual pressure had popped up on his personal radar for hollows. A shark- tooth grin curled onto Grimmjow's face, and he came to an abrupt halt and stuck his hands in the big pockets of his hakama. The thumb on his left hand stuck out, running over the edge of _Pantera's_ hilt. He'd been craving a decent fight ever since he'd been stuck in one of those stupid human bodies, and now there was finally an outlet.

Grimmjow smirked when he heard the arrival sound of a sonido behind him. He whipped around, eyebrows scrunched together, eyes narrowed. Well now, who the fuck was _that_?

"You must be Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, the _former_ Sexta Espada." The emphasize on the word was not lost on Grimmjow and he glared daggers at the arrancar in front of. With long blonde hair, she sort of reminded him of Illforte Grantz, one of his past fraccion. Her hollow fragment was wrapped around the back of her neck, like a jacket cuff, and faintly resembled the spinal cord of some animal. She had an angular face, as cut as a diamond, and her large violet eyes were narrowed and aimed straight at him. She was short, even shorter than Mikan, and was modestly dressed in an Espada uniform, with fitted white pants and a long- sleeved shirt of sorts, slightly cinched in at the waist and adorned with long tailcoats that reached the ground. One small hand was rested on the purple hilt of a hidden zanpakuto.

Grimmjow took her almost regal- like composure in, and scoffed when it reminded him of Ulquiorra. Who did she think she was? Grimmjow tilted his head slightly to the left, sizing her up. It almost seemed too easy- was this the best Aizen could send in?

"You smell like a human." She observed, lowering her eyelids a fraction of an inch. Grimmjow tensed and bit back a growl. She seemed so nonchalant, even standing under the dark gloomy sky with rain pouring on her. Grimmjow relaxed and stepped back, observing her for a moment.

"And who the hell are you?" He said with a scowl. One of her eyebrows twitched, a foreshadow of what was to come.

"Well ya don't have to be rude about it! A simple 'who are you' would have sufficed!" She snapped with a bite to her words. The bluenette blinked and knit his eyebrows together, puzzled by her sudden swing of personality. Things were starting to get weirder and weirder, and he was becoming restless. Enough of the chitchat, when were they going to fight?

"My name is Leiko. I am the seventeenth arrancar in Aizen's army." She said, this time with a quirky, close- eyed smile, her head cocked to the side like an obedient puppy. "I've heard a lot about you, Grimmjow. Tell me, how's life like for you, here in the Human World?" She asked colloquially, as if they weren't about to duel to the death. And her roller coaster attitude pissed Grimmjow off. With a low growl, he grasped the hilt of his zanpakuto and charged at her, heavy rain beating hard against him.

Her violet- hued eyes opened, full of eerie coldness. Her grip on her sword tightened, and with a brilliant shock of sparks in the dark environment, the two swords clashed against each other, the owner's both trying to force the other weapon down.

"You're pretty strong for a female arrancar. And you're not even an Espada." Grimmjow scoffed, pushing the arrancar back, the heels of her shoes skidding along the sky. She raised a fist, eyes angrily glaring at him.

"What do you mean for a female? Hey, asshole, you're not an Espada either!" She shouted, hands on her hips. Her bottom lip stuck out in a childish pout and then she raised her zanpakuto to eye level, where she carefully examined the flat of it. Grimmjow arched an eyebrow at her peculiar behavior, but kept his guard up, nonetheless, his sword leveled and directed at his opponent. Too bad it seemed like he was standing in the rain for no reason, because just then, Leiko yawned, her shoulders drooping.

Grimmjow instantly bristled and his hair stood on end, which had nothing to do with the weather. He swung his zanpakuto in an arc in front of him, barely able to hear the whistling sound when a sudden clap of thunder muffled the noise he liked to hear so much."Oi. Listen up. Just because I'm feeling generous, I'll give you ten seconds to get your shit together, and after that, I'll crush you into dust!" Since w_hen did I get so soft?_ Grimmjow thought to himself. _Maybe I spent a little _too_ much time around that lot of humans..._

The blonde arrancar cast him an unreadable look and then took a fighting stance. The bluenette smirked. So he was finally going to exercise his blade a bit before it was over.

"How about we just not fight? I'm _really_ tired and I'm not that strong either, you said it yourself. Besides, I don't think fighting me should be your main priority right now, wouldn't you agree?" Leiko said matter- of- factly. Her words went straight over Grimmjow's head, because he suddenly charged at her, ramming his elbow into her gut. Leiko was knocked ten feet away, and rolled a few times before coming to a stop on her stomach, facing the ground. She didn't stir.

Grimmjow looked at the still arrancar with disdain. Had he killed her already? He didn't think he had hit _that_ hard, but maybe she was just unusually weak. A handful of seconds went by before he decided to call it quits and just put a cero through her already. After all, whether she was dead or not didn't matter, he'd follow through either way. While keeping his eyes trained on her, he formed a cero with the hand not holding his zanpakuto. His mouth quirked when he felt the familiar warmth of the cero in his hand, bathing the surroundings in red light.

"Any last words?" He asked rhetorically and rolled his eyes. Of course there were no last words, she was probably dead alre-

"As a matter of fact I do." Leiko deadpanned. She was sitting up, with the crooks of her arms resting on her knees and her zanpakuto carelessly laying beside her. The sight made Grimmjow's blood boil and the cero in his hand grew. Leiko sighed dramatically, her expression sad.

"Don't you want to hear what I have to say? I guarantee you'll regret killing me- it has to do with those humans!" She said the last part in a sing- song voice, grinning up at Grimmjow teasingly. He wasn't fazed by her words, but he did keep the cero controlled, lowering his hand slightly so the red sphere wasn't obscuring his vision.

"What do you mean?" He growled. Leiko scoffed daintily and turned serious, her eyelids lowered and the grin wiped off her face. She used her arms to push herself up into a standing position, but before she could take another step, there was suddenly a sword tip dangerously close to her throat.

Grimmjow kept his eyes narrowed at her, and his sword hand steady. If it turns out she didn't have anything to say, he'd look quite the fool. But in that case, she'd already be dead in a matter of seconds, so it didn't really matter.

"I said- _what do you mean_?" He reiterated, pressing the tip of the sword against her exposed throat. Leiko went cross- eyed trying to keep it in view. She gave up, pursed her lips and said, "I'm _talking_ about the _humans_. Namely, a _specific_ _girl_." Leiko hinted at obviously.

Grimmjow's blood chilled and ran cold. A human girl on the Soul Reaper's side... Mikan? What the hell would Aizen want anything to do with her?

The indentation in Leiko's throat disappeared and her shoulders sagged as she let out a sigh of relief. Small fingers rubbed tentatively at the spot. Violet orbs stared at the white planes of the bluenette's back. She had to suppress a scoff at his carelessness of turning his back on the enemy. Not that she could have succeeded, but it was so easy to strike him while his attention was clearly elsewhere. Leiko pursed her lips and tore her gaze away, deciding to observe the few humans that were out and about in this atrocious weather. To her, even watching humans was more interesting than fighting. A wide, closed- mouth smile spread over her face, making her expression border on creepy. Back in Hueco Mundo, she was known as the messenger pigeon, a failure of an arrancar. It was too bad she didn't give two shits.

And when there was the expected sound of a sonido, her grin diminshed, but wasn't gone altogether. Leiko turned and faced the direction opposite of where Grimmjow had been standing and wrapped her long- sleeved arms around herself when a bold light flashed across the heavens, illuminating it for a second before it was gone.

Leiko walked across the sky, slightly relishing the feel of rain on her skin when all she had ever experienced were the never- changing climate of Hueco Mundo. No matter what her actions said otherwise, she really did serve Lord Aizen to the best of her abilities. Usually. She supposed arrancars like Grimmjow deserved chances. It was like the mouse had just released the big cat. Her actions were bound to reap severe consequences, most likely death, and even more likely, someone other than Aizen would be the one delivering the finishing blow. He never did his own dirty work.

She looked at the humans through the corners of her eyes and sighed tiredly. _Being an arrancar was _so_ boring. _

* * *

_"Damn." _Grimmjow growled as he tore through the heavy rain at top speed, his clothes plastering against his front and then flapping out behind him. His eyes flitted from building top to building top, searching for a lone figure. He didn't even feel the droplets pelting his face as he clenched his teeth in irritation and, although he wouldn't admit it, the slight pressure of worry. What had she been wearing anyway? A pink shirt or something?

What did Aizen want with her anyway? The harsh truth was she wasn't anything too special, so why? Although there was always the possibility he had just been played a fool by a lowly arrancar, the tug in his stomach said otherwise. Grimmjow searched for her spiritual pressure, trying to dig it out from all the other human reiatsus, and then all sense of rational thinking went out the window when he spotted her, curled up into a small ball. A small sigh of relief escaped him when he saw she had listened to him after all.

His narrowed eyes then zoomed in on her figure, checking to see if anything was out of order. Then he slowed down, but was still going at a fast enough speed to barrel into Mikan, easily knocking the wind out of her. Before she could hit the concrete, though, Grimmjow's arms encircled her, the tough hierro of his forearms scarping against the concrete to prevent them from sliding over the edge. His alert blue eyes looked at her before moving into an upright position and standing up. Mikan, on the other hand, was still in a daze when his lingering arms around her slackened and he let go.

"W- why are y- you back so s- soon?" Mikan chattered, like a woodpecker digging into a log. It didn't go unnoticed by Grimmjow, who briefly felt her hand before releasing the cold limb. He debated warming her up with body heat, but then decided against it. Some things would never change, and plus he still had to be on guard for anything or anyone.

"You're freezing." He noted, a damned feeling of... _something_ stirring up inside him. Mikan looked like a wet puppy, hair plastered against her face with big, lost- looking eyes. She was still waiting for his answer to her question when he spoke again, one hand mindlessly sweeping a wet tendril off her nose.

"You need to go somewhere warmer. Doesn't Kurosaki have a place or something?" He said in a clipped tone. Mikan was going to point out that she doubted her being warm was the most of her concerns, but then realized that he was probably thinking along the same lines, he just didn't want to say it out loud. Despite the miserable state she was in, she gave a small smile and a nod.

"It's probably safe there. But what about you? Did you win the fight or something?" She asked innocently. It made Grimmjow's features soften just the smallest fraction of an inch as he placed his hands on top her shoulders, getting ready to sonido.

"Something like that." And they were gone.

**A/N: So scream at me all you want if you were unsatisfied with this, but it just hasn't been a good week for me :\ but fyi, *hint hint nudge nudge* all characters mentioned have a certain role they play... I don't just add them in for the heck of it ^_^ anyways, review if you liked or not and as always thanks for reading. **


	14. Chapter 14: Save it for a Rainy Day

**If you're pissed, you can take my legs, just leave me my arms so I can type ;-; Answer for no update in like a month? Truly sorry, but I've been crazy busy with school and just overall STUFF. That's a really lame excuse, so I'm sorry. Also, I realized some of the page breaks in my other chapter aren't showing up...great. Hope you enjoy the chapter c: *runs to cry in a corner* **

**Chapter 14**

**Found in the Rain**

Loud, heavy blows rained on the door of the Kurosaki clinic. The knocking, for lack of a better word, continued until the girl ushered Grimmjow to stop being so rude.

"I'm sure the Kurosakis would appreciate it if their door was still intact by the time they reached it!" Mikan hissed at Grimmjow, who was positively glowering with annoyance. The little, slanted panel above the door did nothing to shelter them from the pouring rain, but there already wasn't an inch of dry skin or clothing on the two, so it didn't matter either way.

"Kurosakis. Che." Grimmjow muttered under his breath and crossed his arms against his chest. Hearing the words, Mikan swiveled her head around to give him a look of, _really_? Before he could shoot back a glare, there was suddenly voices coming from the other side of the door.

"Karin, don't open it without checking to see who it is! It's really dark out, what if it's an ax murderer?" Mikan recognized the concerned voice as Yuzu, one of Ichigo's younger siblings. Which meant the responding voice was Karin, the darker- haired sibling.

"Geez, Yuzu, quit being such a scaredy cat. Maybe it's Ichigo." Despite the brave words, the door only opened a crack, and two sets of wide eyes peeked around it. Mikan was about to greet the fraternal twins when, behind her, Grimmjow seized the moment to wrap a large hand around the edge of the door and push it open. There was a scream of surprise from Yuzu, when the girls were suddenly swept aside by seemingly nothing.

The indifferent bluenette had just put one foot inside when Mikan smacked his arm angrily.

"That was _so_ rude!" She huffed, but quickly stepped inside and out the torrential rain. Once she had gone in, Grimmjow closed the door behind him and rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah? And you wanted to stay in the rain?" He retorted, to which Mikan pretended to be deaf as she helped the girls off from the floor. Karin groaned and then suddenly perked up when she realized the hand resting on her shoulder belonged to Mikan.

"Mikan! What are you doing here? And why do you look like... you just took a shower?" Karin asked hesitantly. Beside her, Yuzu raised her head as well, a bubbly smile gracing her face as well when she recognized the face of one of Ichigo's friends.

"Oh, it's you Mikan! Good, I thought it might've been a crazy ax murderer!" Yuzu laughed cheerfully, and Mikan suddenly felt bad for Grimmjow's brash actions. Was that blue- haired idiot raised in a barn or something? The corners of her lips twitched up when she thought about it. No, more like a desolate desert. At least they couldn't see him, otherwise that would've proved to create a whole new set of problems.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was just so eager to get out of the rain!" Mikan said through clenched teeth and a strained smile, the aggravation in her tone clearly directed towards the bluenette leaning against the wall. Grimmjow scrunched his eyebrows together before letting out a deep breath breath, pushing off the wall using his shoulders.

"Well now that you're all dry and shit, I'm leaving. And don't even think about leaving this place either." He said, trying to say the words in the most nonchalant voice he could pull off. The same time he sonidoed away, leaving Mikan no time to say a goodbye, Karin suddenly leapt to her feet, one finger shaking at where he had just been standing.

"W- what the heck! Who, or what was _he_?!" She asked, eyes the size of baseballs. Mikan herself was startled. Karin could see hollows? She never knew that. And if Karin could see hollows, then that meant she had seen and heard Grimmjow. Damn.

"Don't worry, he was just-"

"WELL HEY MIKAN! LONG TIME NOOOO SEE!" Ichigo's dad had to have had the worst timing ever. Mikan slapped on a smile when the boisterous man barged through the kitchen doors, arms in the air and launching himself at her for a hug. Mikan quickly stepped to the side, Ishida smacking into the door instead. Sitting on the ground was Yuzu, had a look of thorough confusion, eyes going from Karin and Mikan to her father, who was still plastered against the door. Mikan exchanged glances with Karin, both looks clearly stating the conversation was not over.

"Mr. Ishida, do you mind if I stayed here for a little while? You see, long story short, I can't exactly go home right now..."

* * *

"Yammy. Our work here is done, let's go." It was the detached voice of the green- eyed Espada Ichigo recognized, but Captain Toshiro and Rangiku of squad ten didn't. The short, white- haired Captain narrowed his eyes and tightened the grip on his zanpakuto. Standing in the sky next to him, Rangiku did the same, but made sure to keep her sword tip directed at Yammy.

"And who are you?" Inquired Toshiro. Ulquiorra only spared the Captain a glance before turning his back on the Soul Reapers. There was a snap of his fingers and then a garganta stretched out in front of the two Espada. Behind them, with a sound of indignation, Ichigo decided to skip the formalities altogether and made a move to charge at the somber- faced Espada. Before he could, however, Toshiro stuck out his arm, preventing Ichigo from going after the two arrancars.

"Wh- hey, Toshiro! What do you think you're doing- letting them get away?" Ichigo said in a raising volume. At the same time, Ulquiorra looked back over his shoulder at the three Soul Reapers, his gaze mainly focusing on the orange- haired one.

"Goodbye, Ichigo Kurosaki." Came Ulquiorra's last words before he stepped into the garganta and the disheveled opening shut, like the closing jaws of an animal.

Ichigo gritted his teeth together and furrowed his eyebrows. He opened his mouth, already full of words to spit out at the two other Soul Reapers, but Toshiro spoke first.

"There's no point in encouraging them to stay and fight if they were already intending to leave. It's best to stay out of trouble for the time being." He said calmly, although his snowy eyebrows were knit together, his eyes full of uncertainty. Ichigo studied his serious expression for a minute before sighing and relaxing his tense body .

"Fine. We better go see if the others at Urahara are alright. Geez, though, this rain just won't let up, will it?" Ichigo said downheartedly now that all prospects of a fight were off and there was no reason for him to be standing in the pouring rain.

Toshiro nodded offhandedly, his large turquoise eyes scouring the streets below, as if looking for something. Next to him, Rangiku's eyes took on a sharp look when she recognized the concentrated look on her Captain's face as the same one he wore when filing paperwork.

"Captain?" She asked hesitantly. Ichigo lifted his eyes to peer the hair plastered against his forehead. Not only was he getting a free shower, the air was starting to turn chilly as well, and he hoped whatever Toshiro had to say, he would say it fast.

"I- nothing. I just need to check on something first. You go on back without me." He said, and a moment later, flash stepped out of sight, being even harder to see with the camouflage of the darkened heavens.

Rangiku blinked twice, her eyebrow arched and eyes confused. Ichigo mimicked her facial expression, but let out a sigh soon enough and got ready to return to what would surely be a warm welcome home.

"Well then, I guess I'll see you later." Ichigo said, raising one hand in farewell. The busty lieutenant nodded solemnly, and an instant later, became the only Soul Reaper still remaining.

* * *

"Whaddafuck?" Grimmjow murmured, slurring his words together lazily. He paused in his stroll on the streets, hands shoved in pockets casually. His pesquisa was on and working, so where were the overbearing arrancar spiritual pressures he'd felt not a moment earlier? One of the pressures had to have belonged to Yammy- the oaf was bala- happy, he couldn't stop himself from firing those things. And if Yammy was in the World of the Living, there was no way Aizen would've let him go without bringing along Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow's upper lip curled, showing his unusually sharp canines. All he could feel was the numb feeling of his skin being hit with rain and the growing throbbing near his right temple, with the pain due to something that had hit him or annoyance, he didn't know.

The blue- haired ex- Espada, invisible to the rare, scurrying human, stopped in his tracks, eyes turned towards the skies. There obviously wasn't anything there but bland storm clouds and rain that hurt his eyes when it landed in them, but he figured he wasn't really looking for anything either.

Why wasn't he practically foaming at the mouth for a fight anymore? That pitiful, he was reluctant to even use the word, warm- up with that blond arrancar had barely been enough to even scrape the top of his previously untamed hunger for battle. Grimmjow's hands balled into fists in his pockets and he lowered his head, and if glares could kill, the cement sidewalk would've been seven feet under already.

Grimmjow scoffed when his mind slowly began trailing back to that human he'd left at Kurosaki's resident. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, since who knew what kind of shit Kurosaki's family would pull on that human? But she had said she was good friends with them, right? Why the fuck did it even matter?

"Aurgh!" He growled, and pulled his hands out of his pockets and plowed them through his limp locks of blue hair, grabbing a fistful in each hand and tugging at his roots. All this thinking shit was so... muddy. It dulled his senses, made him too immersed in his thoughts.

Especially when a particular dark- brown- haired human girl crossed his mind. And d_amn, he was doing it again. _

Grimmjow let out a long and loud breath, relaxing his hands and resting them on top his head. He gave his cerulean eyes a rest, deciding to just bathe in the cold storm and listen to the footfalls of the humans that passed by him.

Then, fast as he could, the bluenette turned around, bringing his right hand down with the force of a bulldozer, his protective layer of hierro scraping jaggedly against the length of the Soul Reaper's sword. The defensive arrancar somewhat recognized him as a Captain, one that had been deployed in the Human World. And all too suddenly, a chord of deep- realization rang throughout his body, making him feel like he had just been dipped in ice cold water. His steely cerulean eyes narrowed, glinting with light blue eyebrows drawn close above them.

He'd been found. This Soul Reaper knew who he was now.

"I knew you were here. Although it was partially hidden, it wasn't too hard a task detecting your spiritual pressure. I'm surprised Rangiku and Ichigo didn't sense it." Toshiro said, his knuckles white from gripping the hilt of his zanpakuto. Grimmjow scoffed through his gritted teeth, a task that had been perfected with practice.

"Yeah? What- you gonna arrest me or something?" Grimmjow retorted. He suddenly relinquished his weight from the zanpakuto and it swung upwards in an arc, just narrowly missing the small hairs stuck like glue against his forehead. Grimmjow quickly sonido-ed to the top of a building, continuing to do so as he went from place to place, putting a cap on his spiritual energy as well. It was hardly anything to prevent the white- haired Soul Reaper from finding him again, but it was something.

Was it wrong that he felt it wasn't... right to fight a Soul Reaper? He appeared for half a second at the most in one spot, zig- zagging his way around buildings to get to- Mikan?

Grimmjow suddenly stopped, quickly disappearing before appearing in a narrow alleyway. His eyes were peeled for a flash of white somewhere, but there was nothing yet. He tried to settle his breathing and his hands clenched and relaxed, trying to contain the jittery feeling in his body. Ignoring it altogether, his mind raced, thinking of a plan to somehow avoid a fight (had Aizen started a charity for orphans as well?) and get back to Urahara shop where his gigai was. He didn't even have a full plan laid out in his mind, but it didn't matter.

Grimmjow broke into a fly at top speed, moving so fast that the rain droplets felt like velvet curtains against his face. Although his spiritual energy was contained at a minimum, his pesquisa was on full alert, as sharp as a finely tuned instrument. Grimmjow nearly jetted right past the shop, which had definitely seen better days. There were three prominent holes in the top floor, and several supporting pillars that had snapped. A low, throaty growl barely emerged from his lips as he began the tedious task of carefully walking through the shop and up the stairs without touching any fragile infrastructures.

"Where did I put that thing?" He said in a pinched voice, ducking under a piece of the wall that had fallen over. It was the upstairs hallway, the one leading to his and Mikan's bedrooms, which meant his gigai had to be laying around somewhere.

"Che." He scoffed, when his eyes finally landed on the head of blue hair, finely coated in a layer of white plaster. Grimmjow dragged his fake body out from a pile of charred wood and sonido-ed back down the stairs and out the store, grimly anticipating the arrival of the short, white- haired Captain.

Outside, the rain seemed to be getting lighter, however, which was a plus. Grimmjow sighed, but hoisted up his gigai and slung it over his shoulder, preparing to kick off into a sonido on track for Kurosaki's house when the ever- so- familiar spiritual pressure of the Captain's showed up again. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder to glare at Toshiro, who's sword was held in his hand by his side, surprisingly, the weapon not aimed at the arrancar.

"You never properly introduced yourself. I can tell you are an Espada since you're too strong not to be." Toshiro stated, his thin, white eyebrows drawn together. Grimmjow didn't move a muscle in his face or body.

_If things go smoothly, maybe I can talk myself out of this one,_ he thought.

"I'm flattered, but no." Grimmjow said in a flat tone practically bursting with ecstasy. "I'm not an Espada anymore." His eyes were narrowed, but there _was_ a lack of extreme hostility towards Toshiro. However, the same self- restraint couldn't be said for the other, who was sending wave after wave of deep loathing to the arrancar.

Toshiro slashed his zanpakuto in two wide arcs in front of him, and leapt forward, asking, "You think I'll be fooled by that? You must be joking." His blade whizzed over Grimmjow's head as he ducked, slicing off a couple hairs that slowly floated in the air in front of Grimmjow. He scowled and readjusted his grip on the gigai without giving an opening.

"How about you hear me talk my shit first?" Grimmjow swore angrily, getting annoyed by Toshiro's ignorance. All the while, the Captain kept attacking Grimmjow, trapping his back flat up against the fence that surrounded Urahara Shop. The sword tip suddenly appeared dangerously close to Grimmjow's throat, and he suddenly felt a surge of deja vu.

Hadn't the roles been switched when he was fighting Lei- what's her face?

"You didn't put up much of a fight, Espada. But that doesn't matter now, you're through!" Toshiro declared, bringing his zanpakuto over his left shoulder and swinging it forward like a bat, aiming straight for Grimmjow's neck...

At the last possible second, Grimmjow dropped to his feet, reached up to grab Toshiro's sword- arm, and while he was already charging a kido with his free hand, Grimmjow reeled back and kicked the Captain hard in the gut, sending him sailing in an arc through the rain. Come tomorrow morning, Toshiro's abdomen was sure to be sporting a bruise the shape of Grimmjow's foot.

"Sorry Cap'n." Grimmjow muttered, not sounding sorry at all as he took off without a backwards glance. "Guess that's the last time I try talking shit out. Che."

* * *

"Mikan, do you need anything else?" Yuzu asked sweetly, her head bent around the door to look at Mikan, who was getting ready to hit the hay. She shook her head.

"No I'm fine. Goodnight Yuzu!" She called out, but sighed as soon as the door closed. Mikan ran her fingers through her hair, which was slightly tangled and curled at the ends from being in the braid she had fixed it in since morning. It didn't seem like sleep would be coming anytime soon. Certainly not when there was still Grimmjow out doing who knew what in the awful weather that was currently rampaging Karakura town.

Mikan crawled into the bed in the guest room Isshin had graciously given her. The single window in the room lacked curtains or blinds, so it was a bit unnerving seeing lightning flash in contrast to the dark sky. Mikan was only grateful she had gotten to change out of her soaking wet clothes and into Ichigo's old clothes from his middle school years, which was embarrassing to wear, to say the least.

She yawned, stretching her mouth wide and scrunching her eyes shut. Mikan gave another sigh for good measure, and rested her head on her hands, as if planning to sleep sitting up in bed.

"Grimm, whaddaya doin'?" She murmured, and despite her earlier thoughts, drowsiness began to overcome her head. Her head dipped and jerked back into place so often, it was a wonder she didn't give herself a concussion.

Mikan grumbled something incoherent, and her breathing became slower, signaling the start of what was sure to be a restless sleep. However, the dregs of sleep were scattered not much long later, when there was a loud bang and a hushed voice.

"Fuck." Even in the dark, there was no way she wouldn't recognize that deep, rumbling voice that took little effort into waking her up faster than a shot of espresso. Mikan perked up, eyes staring wide at the space in front of the bed.

"...Grimm?"

"Yeah, who the fuck else?" He responded back. Grimmjow sighed tiredly and collapsed onto the floor, still soaking wet, but now in his gigai. The floor he was on was wooden and uncomfortable, but he found he just didn't give a single damn. Mikan heard the lazy sound of what was sure to be him sprawling over the floor, and smiled to herself. Mikan relaxed, letting her head hit the pillow. Despite everything that had happened that night, neither of the two said much.

"So did you win?"

"Something like that."

**A/N: Not _too_ bad for not writing for a month... right? :\ But anyways, since you guys have been so patient, and I'm just hinting, don't forget about Leiko! Hehe, so hopefully this will sate your interest until the next chapter (which will _definitely_ be up in less than a month :)) **


	15. Chapter 15: A Few Small Problems

**Fun Fact: I'm a horrible person for putting you readers through this agonizing wait. And to add another accomplishment to my ever- growing list of stuff I've fucked up: this is mostly a fluff/ filler chapter :( sorry guys, but please don't hate me and enjoy...**

**Chapter 15 (wow... big achievement for me)**

**A Few Small Problems**

"Where did I put my notebook again? Maybe it's in here..." Ichigo wondered out loud, twisting the doorknob to the spare room no one in his family really used. It wasn't likely to be there, but Ichigo decided to try his luck and entering anyway, with prospects of finding the green- covered, doodled- over notebook he used to take notes in.

Humming a nameless tune, he strolled in, hands stuck in his pants pockets. The door gently shut behind him, and at the same time, the song he was humming was cut short. One of his eyebrows twitched, and his mouth fell slightly ajar. Ichigo stared, not so much at Mikan, who was sleeping soundly in the bed; but more so the blue- haired idiot, currently face down with his arms at his sides.

Ichigo walked over to the motionless body. Grimmjow... wasn't _dead_ was he? Ichigo leaned over, peering at the ex- Espada's face, but the little blue bangs that loomed over his forehead shielded his face.

"Hey." Ichigo whispered. There was no response.

"_Hey."_ He said more irritably. Using the tip of his foot, he slightly nudged the back of Grimmjow's head. Still, there was no response. Ichigo mentally deadpanned, letting out a breath of frustration. "Geez, this guy's dead to the world. Didn't he used to be an Espada or something?" Ichigo muttered.

With another, harder, nudge of his foot, there was finally movement. A low rumble of a groan came from Grimmjow, and slowly, a single blue eye opened.

"Don' touch mm head." Grimmjow said lazily, barely opening his mouth to speak. His shoulders and neck felt stiff- probably a result of sleeping on the hardwood floor. Grimmjow gave a grunt of effort as he moved his head so he was resting with his chin on the floor. Why did he feel so tired? He must be really out of shape if a little scuffle like the one last night was enough to wear him out.

Ichigo stared in disbelief at the nonchalant attitude of Grimmjow. Sighing again, Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at the bluenette.

"Hey, mind explaining why you two are in my house?" He said with his eyes closed, eyebrows twitching. Grimmjow blinked blankly at the door in front of him, wracking his brain for an answer, but found he really didn't know why.

It was just perfect timing when suddenly, a high- pitched, drawn- out yawn pierced the silence of the room. Ichigo looked over to see Mikan had risen from the bed, but Grimmjow didn't need to lift his head in order to acknowledge her. Quite possibly for the first time in his life, he felt too tired to do much of anything.

Mikan yawned again, her eyes scrunching closed, and when they opened, they lazily concentrated on Ichigo's face. Mikan's mouth hung slightly ajar as she stared at the orange- head, the cobwebs of sleep slowly starting to lift off her mind.

"Oh hey Ichigo." She called casually, as if it had been completely normal for her to stay the night, with Grimmjow to boot. In response, Ichigo sighed tiredly, one hand running through his messy, spiked locks, and the other hand resting in the confines of his pants back pocket.

"Can you just tell me what you guys are doing here?" He asked, raising his hands in question. Still on the floor, Grimmjow finally stirred. First using his forearms to brace himself against the hardwood, he shoved off onto his knees and then stood up. Immediately assuming his signature pose of leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Grimmjow glanced testily at Ichigo, as if daring him to make a comment about his awkward movements, but the Substitute Shinigami merely had a look of annoyance.

Seeing the familiar head of blue hair appear from in front of the foot of the bed, a bright smile graced Mikan's face. She flung back the covers, inwardly cringing when she saw she was still wearing the clothes from the day before. Turning to Ichigo, she said, "We needed a place to stay for the night since Urahara's shop was... well..." Mikan faltered, her eyebrows knitting together when a sudden revelation came to her:

She hadn't even thought about Urahara being ok. What about Yoruichi? Tessai, Jinta and Ururu, the other members of Urahara shop? As the bed sheets twisted like a pretzel under Mikan's fingers, a thin, calming thought glazed over as well. They were probably alright; wouldn't Ichigo have said otherwise if he knew?

Mikan still bore a somewhat confused look when she got up from the bed, although she didn't know why. Lately, she wasn't so sure of anything, and least of all her own feelings concerning a certain blue- haired, supernatural being.

"Well if you weirdos are just gonna laze around, then I'm out." Ichigo said, one hand raised in a wave, heading for the door. Mikan leaned against the wall to the left of the bed.

"Where are you going?" She called after him, just before his leg left the threshold of the door. Ichigo popped his head back in, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh, school?" He said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world, and in some ways, it was. As Ichigo's head disappeared from the door crack, Mikan sprung into action.

"School?! Oh damn- Grimmjow, we have class today!" Mikan shouted, running her hands through her messy hair and tugging fistfuls of it. While the girl was practically in hysterics, Grimmjow, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less.

"So?" He asked nonchalantly, picking an invisible piece of lint from off his shoulder. It was obviously the wrong thing to say, because Mikan immediately rounded up on him, her eyes aflame.

"_So_? If Urahara finds out, I won't see sunlight for the rest of my life! You have no idea how unusually cruel he can be!" Mikan cried out dramatically, holding the back of her wrist to her forehead and falling back onto the bed. "How am I going to get there on time? I look like a mess, smell even worse, don't have a ride, and to make things worse I think I have a test today." Mikan let out a drawn- out wail and buried her face in the blankets.

Grimmjow pushed off the wall with his shoulders and walked over to the girl who had lost her mind. It was just human jail they were missing- he couldn't see why it was so damn important, but it obviously held an unusual amount of importance to the girl.

Sighing tiredly, the ex- Espada uncrossed his arms and lightly rapped the girl on the forehead with his knuckles. She shook her head in the process, and then turned on her side. Grimmjow rolled his eyes at her lackluster behavior that was worlds apart from the one mere seconds ago.

"Why does it fucking matter so much? I doubt one day'll make much of a difference on your oh- so- important human education." Grimmjow said in a slightly mocking way and snorted, shaking his head at the human girl. He really didn't understand the way her mind worked sometimes.

Mikan lifted her head up to look at Grimmjow. Her eyebrows were raised in a, _really_? expression and she propped herself up on her elbows to rest her head on her hands.

"To think I haven't even gone to school for a month and I'm already turning into a bad student." She grumbled, more to herself than anyone. Grimmjow, tired of her bullshit attitude, suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, giving no warning in advance. Mikan shrieked and jerked her knee up as a reflex, but the bluenette merely shifted so one arm was wrapped her waist like a safety belt and barred her arms to her sides; and the other was under her knees, gathering her body in an awkward, altered version of a bridal style.

"Let's see if that shady shop keeper's done repairing all the damages already. Tch, I know where my money's placed." Grimmjow scoffed, and made his way out the room, with Mikan squirming in protest, vehemently urging him to take her to school.

He just strolled all the way to Urahara's. It was good exercise, anyways.

* * *

"Well look who it is!" The blonde, hat- donned, shop keeper greeted merrily to the two newcomers who had entered into the store. Grimmjow had strolled in, hands stuck in pockets and without a care in the world as he looked over the newly- recreated store with mild curiosity. The second person, Mikan, had cautiously stepped in, as if the next step she took would set off a bomb. To her, it was all the same.

Urahara's face was hidden behind his opened fan, so his expression was unreadable, but Mikan was sure he wanted an explanation. Just as she opened her mouth to justify her actions, he cut in.

"I'm not mad at you if that's what you're worried about. In fact, I'm glad you decided to take a break off school." Urahara said lightly as he fanned himself. Mikan's mouth dropped on its hinges and she stared in disbelief at the green- cloaked man.

"What do you mean 'I'm not mad?' Didn't you say something about giving me an extra week of boxing lessons if... I... school..." Mikan trailed off, her raised hand slowly drooping when she realized she had not only forgotten about class, but boxing lessons as well.

"Ugh! I forgot about _those_ too!" Mikan slapped her hands onto her cheeks and dragged down, making her resemble a melting wax figure. Behind her, Grimmjow's boredom had taken over, and he had picked up a package of hard candy and was examining the cartoon strawberry on the front of the package. Tossing it down with a scoff, he called out to behind him, "Woman, would you just listen to me and quit ya stressing? It's pissing me off." He muttered the second half to himself. In truth, he didn't mind her rambles too much, not that that would be the case for any one else. It just gave his stomach an uncomfortable tug watching the girl stress her brains out about something that didn't matter shit.

Urahara shut his fan with a snap and used it to point at the gold detailing on the back wall.

"It's a nice touch, isn't it?" He mused. Mikan glanced at it offhandedly before scoffing and shaking her head, a small grin spreading across her face. She walked over to lean on the counter Urahara was behind.

"What do you want me to do then? Keep my _cero_\- detector on high? Take a stroll around the park?" Mikan said, tapping her toe. In response, Urahara gave a shrug of his shoulders. Mikan noticed that the mischievous grin that he usually wore had, at some point, faded away.

"Soul Society's already notified me, and I'll inform Ichigo and the others later, but you know that Orihime's gone?" He asked. Grimmjow rested an elbow on top the bags of candy as he tuned back in to the conversation. Mikan perked up, her mouth forming an 'o.'

"Seems they think she's turned traitor and went to Hueco Mundo when the arrancars attacked yesterday." Urahara explained. There was a heavy silence that lingered in the air when he finished. Mikan and Grimmjow exchanged glances, but no words were spoken. Mikan, herself, hadn't been particularly close to Orihime, but she knew the girl was kind and especially, even if he didn't realize it, fond of Ichigo. Why would she have turned on them? What reason could justify her actions? Mikan kept quiet as new thoughts tumbled in and out of her mind.

Was she kidnapped?

"That's probably why after I met that one arrancar, I didn't sense the reiatsu of Ulquiorra and that big oaf. The fight was a distraction while Ulquiorra located the girl, that right?" Grimmjow said in a low voice. Mikan was curious to ask him about his run- in with "that one arrancar" but decided to store the question for another time.

Urahara gave a single nod. "I doubt Inoue- chan would've betrayed us so surely. Aizen must want something from her Souten Kisshun... to act as a doctor, perhaps?" He wondered out loud, before straightening up with a wide smile back on his face.

"Well, in any case, none of this can be resolved without the helpful input of our Shinigami friends, I'm sure." He declared before walking to the back of the store, where the housing junction was located.

Mikan turned around, her elbows resting on the edge of the counter behind her. Feeling the intensity of her gaze, Grimmjow sent her a cursory glance, his cornflower blue eyes making contact with her dark, hazel- colored ones. Mikan's lips couldn't help but turn upwards and she wondered if it would always be like that.

Would she always get chills running down her back when he simply looked at her?

The blue- haired arrancar in the human gigai toyed with the plastic corner of one of the candy packages. It was difficult for him to even express his contentedness of being around the girl. He knew he was a hollow, once an Espada that had been created, resembling the destructive quality of death. The many menos and adjuchas he had slaughtered in his past would forever remain a part of who he was, or had been. Was it possible that the longer he stayed in the World of the Living, the more human- llike he became? Did he even want that? His entire existence had centered around carnal destruction and chaos, and all it took was a month with a simple human girl to change that.

He was weak. Grimmjow would sooner have sliced off his arm again that admit it, but he knew he was weak, because what other reason would explain why he was so easily curbed by the girl? Or maybe the girl was strong and in comparison made him look weak. Whatever. She was rubbing off on him, and now he was mentally rambling to himself. At any rate, he'd deal with his damn _emotions_ at a later date.

The loud rapping at the front door captured both their attentions, and Mikan suddenly experienced a whole new set of chills. Only this time, something was definitely wrong, as Grimmjow narrowed his eyes and a jaw muscle jumped. Even in his gigai, he could feel numerous numbers of spiritual pressures, and not hollows, but Soul Reapers. His muscles tensed, and he took a small step back, but the front door burst open at the same time, making Mikan instinctively leap behind Grimmjow.

Flooding into the small shop were the Soul Society's stealth force, and at the head of the pack was none other than the Captain of Squad Two, Soi Fon. Her zanpakuto was drawn and pointing straight at Grimmjow, the dangerously sharp tip aimed directly at his throat.

"I, Captain Soi Fon of Squad Two, commander of the stealth force, now place the Espada in this store under arrest, on behalf of the Soul Society! Failure to cooperate will result in immediate death."

**A/N: So... whaddya think will happen? Heehee, just gotta wait till next time! ;) Please drop a review about what you thought, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16: Destiny Awaits

**Grimmjow's fate is determined in this chapter... and it's an even shorter chapter than before?! What will happen?! Hehe, ok enjoy the reading.**

**Chapter 16**

**Destiny Awaits**

"I, Captain Soi Fon of Squad Two, commander of the stealth force, now place the Espada in this store under arrest, on behalf of the Soul Society! Failure to cooperate will result in immediate death." The strong, but intimidating, Captain stated in a strict, no- nonsense voice. Her voice raised the hairs on the back of Mikan's neck and sent a feeling of impending doom down her entire being.

Narrowed, electric blue eyes exchanged glances with wide, hazel ones. Mikan knew their luck was going to run out eventually, but why now? Did the Soul Society work like the Real World, where officers had to have search warrants before barging in?

Somehow, she didn't think so. More than ever, Mikan willed with all her might that Urahara would explain everything, would diffuse the quickly ticking time bomb. Where was he anyway?

Mikan couldn't depend on him at that very moment. Careful not to make any sudden movements, Mikan objected, "Wait, hear us out first! You got it wrong, he's not-"

"_Silence_!" Soi Fon snapped, her eyes glinting in Mikan's direction. Mikan's mouth closed just barely, enough that her back teeth touched slightly. It felt like every fiber of her being was hypersensitive, even the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. Mikan stood as still as a statue, nervous to even shift her weight from one foot to another. After all, three- fourths of the shop's walls were lined with stealth force soldiers. To Mikan, the tension in the air felt as stiff and dangerous as walking around landmines.

Soi Fon shifted slightly towards Mikan without moving her zanpakuto. Her next words:

"No words? Take him away." She ordered and nearly ten stealth force members appeared around Grimmjow, encircling him and leaving no leeway for escape. Mikan made a noise of objection and reached for him just as the bluenette began responding to the rough treatment the black- clad fighters were giving him.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Grimmjow growled and ripped his arm out of the grasp of a soldier, only to have both arms bent against his back. With the gigai confining his spiritual pressure, Grimmjow was easily overwhelmed by the new surge of squad members, and his legs gave out from under him. Mikan watched in disbelief as Grimmjow was forced to the ground, his head turned away from her.

"Grimmjow..." Mikan whispered, her voice unbelieving. Soi Fon cast an uninterested glance at her before turning her back on Mikan. There was a bright glow in front of the squad two Captain, and a IDK WHAT THIS IS CALLED appeared.

Trembling fingers touched the counter she was leaning on. Mikan's baseball- sized eyes went from Grimmjow, half- sliding, half- being pulled; to Soi Fon getting ready to leave. Her mind static and thoughts a blur, Mikan spun on her heels and raced for the back door, her breaths ragged and coming out in short pants.

"Urahara! Urahara, help!" She screamed, tears burning her eyes. She hated how pathetic she sounded, how dependent she was on others. But at the moment, she couldn't have cared less. It didn't matter if she had to get on her knees and beg the Captain to allow Grimmjow to go, Mikan would've done it in a heartbeat.

It was just too bad the things she wanted weren't written in the stars. In the end, she was just a single human girl against the odds of the entire stealth force and a Captain. The orders weren't even given, but the underlings still felt it, interpreted it, and executed it.

Faster than Mikan's eyelashes could touch her cheek, a stealth force member flash- stepped behind her just as her hand brushed against the cold metal of the doorknob.

Grimmjow was on his knees and had both hands barred behind his back, but was faced backwards so he'd be easier to restrain. And it worked, because all his attempts at struggling went out like a flame when he realized what was about to happen.

His sky- blue eyebrows were drawn together, eyes glaring and intense. His unvoiced snarl turned into a single, hesitant, word, "Hey..."

There was a quick blur of silver, the soldier withdrew his sword, and all the ex- Espada could see was the girl falling, falling, falling into a growing puddle of red. It was like he was watching everything in slow motion, like some weird film. Only, everything he was watching had to be from hell. That was it- there was no other explanation. He was in hell.

"Oi! Get your fucking hands off me or I'll make damn sure you'll regret the day you were born!" Grimmjow bellowed, his voice with a slightly edgy tone.

"Get him restrained!" Soi Fon barked out, and immediately, a handful of the elites surrounded Grimmjow, the viciously profane words spouting out his mouth put to a stop by the thick cloth that covered his mouth. The bluenette glared daggers at the people handling him; some showed a hint of hesitation in their uncovered eyes, but glaring was all Grimmjow could do. He was starting to feel woozy and had a strong suspicion it came from the cloth's strange taste and smell. It tasted like something bitter with a bad aftertaste, and a fairly sweet, floral scent. His eyelids felt heavy and his eyesight swam; there were double the numbers of senkaimon, and the bright glow looked ten times as strong.

Grimmjow forced his arms to give one last jerk before he was dragged into the senkaimon. His legs slid across the floor uncomfortably, but they could've been on fire and he wouldn't have noticed. His mind was hazy enough, struggling to cling to just one coherent thought.

What happened to being the king? That was fucking it? The glorified _Sexta_ Espada, a had- been elite of Aizen's army, unable to even get up off his knees and walk over to the girl? And what of her, anyway? The Soul Reapers truly were all bastards, the lot of them, if they were just going to leave her there. Bleeding. Dying.

His head inclined just the fraction of an inch, and the movement was instantly met with two swords, crossed over each other, like a pair of scissors at his neck. Only a sliver of electric blue was visible from under the three- quarters- lowered eyelids.

It was perhaps the first time he had ever felt something stir inside of him. A terrible, clawing feeling at the pit of his stomach, like a monster was reaching for the surface. The chloroform was dulling his senses to useless butter knives and he was starting to dip in and out of consciousness. However, it didn't erase the imprinted image of that vivid crimson color spurting from the girl's back. It didn't make him forget the girl's head turning ever- so- slightly in an effort to meet his eyes. It didn't shield his ears from that sickening sound from when she coughed, as she fell.

Before his muscles became completely lax, his mind pulled out the fresh memory of Mikan's final words being wasted on his name. It was like he was the sailor in the stormy sea and her faint voice was the fading beacon of light. There, but not really, and dimming fast. How fucking cruel.

"_Grimmjow_..."

* * *

"Get up, Hollow scum." A raspy voice called out to him in the darkness. There was a dull kick at the cell bars, but still no movement stirred from the heap of shadows in the corner of the dirty jail cell. The Soul Reaper in charge, a big, muscular man with a mean and a five o' clock shadow, scoffed and crossed his beefy arms, deep loathing evident in his glittering black eyes as he stared at the uncooperative, albeit unconscious, Espada.

"Didn't hear me? Piece of shit." The Soul Reaper spat at the ground and leaned against the wall while looking at his uniform sandals with feigned interest. All his orders had been were to make sure the arrancar didn't do anything stupid, and if it did, immediately notify the Gotei 13 with a hell butterfly.

He'd hoped the Hollow would at least be awake, just so it would be a bit more interesting. The Shinigami wasn't scared of getting hurt by it; the cell bar's were made of Sekiseki rock, thus restricting any spiritual pressure inside, and the Hollow was cuffed in the rock material as well. There was no way it was getting out.

Upon hearing a small scuffle from behind the bars, the Shinigami's eyes darted to it, every fiber of his being on edge. Despite all the precautions, there was a certain level of discomfort the Shinigami felt just standing there. One hand quickly went to grasp the hilt of his zanpakuto by his hip.

Grimmjow was in an awkward and highly uncomfortable position when he started coming to. Both his arms were confined behind his back, and he was in a sitting position with one leg straight and the other bent at the knee. A weak and experimental tug of his cuffed hands was followed by the sound of a chain being pulled tight, which Grimmjow concluded was attached to the heavy set of metal cuffs his wrists were trapped in.

He felt weak, too, drained. Strangely enough, he wasn't in a gigai anymore, but still felt as if he were being contained in one twice as strong as the one he wore earlier. It felt as if his spiritual energy was cut in half, and the meager amount was being suppressed. The bluenette's eyes were at half- mast and stared, unfocused, at the dirty cell ground. Whatever that cloth had been doused in must have knocked him out with a handful of side effects to boot. His vision was still slightly off- kilter, and now there was a dull pain at his temple.

"Oi, Hollow. Ya awake yet?" The Soul Reaper said in an amused, slightly mocking tone. The hand that had been so carefully touching his zanpakuto was now relaxed, at his side. There was no need to worry so much.

Grimmjow's upper lip instantly curled into a predatory growl, his unusually long and sharp canines put to good use as they were displayed for the Shinigami. A low rumble came from the blue- haired man, a warning sound. He was pissed off, and handcuffed or not, there would be hell to pay if the Shinigami prodded him too many times.

"What's the matter? Don't like it in your cage?" The Soul Reaper sneered, hatred lacing each of his words, "You Hollow scum are all the same. Eat souls, wreak havoc, and want whatcha can't have. Disgusting." He shook his head, sighing deeply as he did so.

Suddenly, there was a sharp snap of the chains confining Grimmjow to a certain distance to the wall. He pulled at his imprisonments, ignoring the sharp pains of the cold cuffs cutting into his skin, as he glared at the cell watcher through narrowed eyes.

"You fucking bastard! Think you're so high and mighty? You're nothing but a fucking weakling that I could snap like a match!" Grimmjow snarled, and for good reason. Through the smoky fog his mind was in came a flash of remembrance. The image made him slightly shiver and hurt his head, but he didn't let it show besides that much. The mental image, one carved into his mind, was of Mikan crumbling to the ground like tissue, and the outburst of crimson blood that flowed from the wound in her back.

Grimmjow's eyes stared unseeing at the Soul Reaper, as the scene replayed over and over in his head. It was like an addictive melody he just couldn't seem to get out of his head. He didn't even know how he felt about it, how he was _supposed_ to feel about it.

What the hell was happening, anyway?

Grimmjow was shaken out of his stupor when the Soul Reaper suddenly leaned in close, his large hands gripped around the cell bars. Bringing his face as close as he could to the bluenette's, he said, "You gotta lot of guts saying that to me. Either that or you're stupid, and you got a hole where your guts are, so I wouldn't put too much money on the guts theory."

The bluenette returned the Shinigami's malice- filled look with his signature glare and scowl, intense enough that if looks could scorch, the cell bars would've been liquid metal by now.

"So what're you bastards planning to do anyway?" Grimmjow snapped in a tone that may not have been the most polite he could have used, but the Shinigami either didn't notice, or didn't care, the latter of which was less likely.

"Tch. Can't you beasts figure out anything? Don't you get it? You're a _Hollow_ in the _Soul Society_. More than likely, you'll be executed soon- hopefully by midday tomorrow." He said as if he were explaining something to a child.

Grimmjow's eyes were still narrowed and unbelieving. Behind his back, his hands clenched into fists and shook with barely- controlled anger, and just the slightest, unspeakable touch of desperation. But he wouldn't admit that, not to anyone, not even to himself, not in the face of unavoidable death. Him... executed? If he really was in the Soul Society, which he had no doubts about, then he had to find a way out. It wasn't just him who had to swoop out of the clutches of death, but the girl too.

He'd find a way out somehow and get back to the World of the Living, Shinigami be damned.

**A/N: Yay, another chapter. Idk if I like how much justice was done for Grimmjow, but the next chapter should tie up all loose ends. ;) I'll have to proofread this later, but I wanted to at least have it up for you guys. 'till next time, feel free to hit that review button and as always, thanks for reading :D**


	17. Chapter 17: Unworldly

**Ugh, why don't my page breaks show up? Anyways, the first one didn't work, so I put three bolded periods :p enjoy.**

**Chapter 17**

**Unworldly**

Pain. And haziness. It was all that remained of her senses. Mikan's eyes were open just a fraction of an inch, but they merely looked blankly at the space in front of her face, unseeing.

There were voices to, but it was as if her head was submerged underwater, because they were muted and echoed oddly. And they were getting softer, the multiple voices merging into one hazy blob of noise.

Yeah, she didn't stay conscious for very long.

**. . .**

"I've stabilized her ruptured internal organs, so she's outta any immediate for now. Howeveh," The large man turned his head to Urahara, "she's only human. I dunno how to completely neutralize the poison. The most I can do is temporarily freeze it in place for now." He finished speaking with a heavy sigh and turned his attention back to the human girl, resting on the floor. A blanket had been hastily placed under her body, and another was draped over her front, covering her heavily- bandaged midriff.

Urahara's hand tightened on his wooden cane as he watched Mikan's eyelids flutter for a second. It had surprising, to say the least, when he had found himself in a barrier preventing him from getting to the shop. It was the damn Seireitei's stealth squad, headed by no other than Captain Soi Fon herself. Finding Mikan bleeding out in the doorway of the shop had _not_ been on his list of to- do's. What was so bone- chillingly about her injury wasn't even the fact that she had been stabbed clean through the abdomen. It was the fact that she had been stabbed with a damn sword _coated in poison._

Urahara's teeth clenched like the steel jaws of a trap. It was a rare moment for his blood to boil so hotly, but that's just the way things were when it came to Mikan. She was like a daughter to him, and she didn't deserve getting hurt. Not physically, or emotionally. It hadn't slipped his mind at all that Grimmjow's presence was nowhere to be found. It was obvious what had gone down in the shop, and the Soul Society was a fool to think Urahara would let it go.

_Damn, Grimmjow. You sure have gotten yourself into a tough situation this time, huh?_ Urahara thought bitterly to himself. He was no traitor to Soul Reapers or the Soul Society, despite what had happened in the past. But he also knew Grimmjow wasn't the primal, bloodthirsty Hollow the Soul Society pictured him to be. That being said, if the blue- haired man was in the depths of the Seireitei, he'd have one hell of a job proving his innocence, not that Central 46 would listen to a word he said. Urahara assumed he'd have around two days to live, and that was at the most.

So what to do now?

"Shred, if my memory serves, you still owe me a favor. I'd like to cash it in now," Urahara said to the man. Shred gave a deep sigh and crossed his arms as he sat cross- legged.

"Urahara, I owe you my life. I'll be willin' to do anythin'."

"I want you to take Mikan to Hueco Mundo when Ichigo and the others leave as well. You know as well as I do if she stays here, she'll die. Orihime is the only one who can reverse her injuries."

"Thats..." Shred began, not sure what to say. It wasn't the matter of the task he was unsure of, but his ability to carry it out. "You'd put her life inta my hands? That's... crazy." He scoffed, but not without traces of a smile making its way onto his face. Urahara grinned from behind his fan. He already knew what his answer would be.

"I'll do it."

* * *

"Huh?! What part of that sounds like a good idea? What if she dies on the way there? Can humans even survive in Hueco Mundo? Who are you, anyway? How do we know we can trust you?" Ichigo fired his questions like a AWOL machine gun. Shred took them all, standing there with the unconscious form of Mikan, swaddled in a blanket, carefully held in his large arms.

Urahara waved his hand at the orange- haired boy. "Then would you prefer for Mikan to stay here with zero chance of surviving? The choice is yours!" He said sarcastically, making Ichigo scowl.

"All I'm saying is that I'm worried about her coming with us. She won't even be able to protect herself."

"And that's why Shred is coming with you guys. He possesses Shinigami powers and is an excellent medic. You can more or less be at ease with him."

"More or less? Just how reliable is this guy?"

Urahara tipped his hat forward, just an inch. "Let's hope you don't have to find out." And that was the end of the discussion.

Ichigo, Uryuu, Chad, and Shred, who was still carrying Mikan, stood at attention in the underground basement of Urahara Shoten. The shop keeper was saying a spell of sorts, getting ready to open up a garganta stable enough to allow the group entry into Hueco Mundo. There, it would be up to them to find Orihime and bring her back home. It was a simple enough plan, but all of them knew otherwise about the dangers that would lurk around every corner and alley of the desolate Hollow land. But at the moment, there was no time to be worrying about it.

The familiar sound of a garganta ripping open filled the underground training room, and the four men immediately sprinted forward to the black opening.

"Concentrate on your destination and don't let your mind waver, not even for a second. Falter and you'll find yourself at the bottom of a never- ending pit of darkness!" Urahara called cheerfully after them. Ichigo swallowed the lump in his throat and set his mouth into a grim line.

_Focus_, he thought, _we're going to go to Hueco Mundo, and then we'll return back home. _

As soon as the four of them stepped foot into the darkness that was the garganta, the opening sealed shut behind them. Ichigo took the lead, not hesitating as he ran into the pitch black. Behind him, he created a shimmering blue path for the others to tread on, albeit it was slightly wobbly and seemed to bend under the weight of the four men, plus Mikan.

Needless to say, Ichigo's surefire concentration ended up with Shred having to take the lead. The beefy man didn't utter a single word, but silently ran past Ichigo when he noticed the shimmering blue path he was paving for everyone had turned wobbly and wavy. As soon as Shred stepped in front of Ichigo, the path solidified, locking into place and overall creating a more comforting ground to be treading on.

"Ichigo, how come when you were in the lead, the ground wasn't this nice?" The seldom- spoken Chad asked. Ichigo's eyebrows quirked in irritation.

"Well I don't know! Just focus on where you're going," he said in an peeved voice, and this time it was the Quincy who spoke up.

"Excuse me, Ichigo, but I don't think I'll be taking orders from the likes of you," Uryuu said calmly and adjusted his glasses, pushing the bridge of it higher up the arch of his nose.

"What? You know, you guys don't have to be so mean to me," Ichigo said in a deadpan voice.

"I just couldn't help noticing that the color of the path is bluer too."

"I don't need some Substitute Shinigami to be ordering me around!"

"Did you even know what you were doing? I think-"

"Is it pick on Ichigo day or something? Why-"

"-and anytime you do, just remember-"

"HEY! Ya pansies back there better SHUT YER GUMS 'fore I send ya all inta the bottomless!" Shred bellowed behind him. The three teenagers immediately sobered up, obediently snapping their mouths shut under the impressive command of Shred. He grunted in satisfaction when the empty space of the garganta no longer rang with their chattering voices.

"There, that's better," Shred grumbled, slightly shifting the one hand under Mikan's knees. If she were to wake up at any point in the journey, she would no doubt wake up in a world of hurt. Under his dark sunglasses, Shred's eyes darted to her peaceful face. She looked as harmless as a baby mouse, and she was. He only hoped he had the ability to repay his debt to her adoptive father. But that was a story for another day, another time.

"I think I see something up ahead!" Ichigo yelled to Shred, who had already noticed the opening of dim light. The muscles in his legs were already tensed, getting ready to jump and stick a soft landing into whatever laid ahead.

When, without warning, the steady path of blue suddenly vanished from beneath his feet, Ichigo looked down and immediately yelled out, heart in his throat.

"Shred, what the hell!" Ichigo exclaimed as he, Chad, and Uryuu tumbled out from the garganta and landed head- first into a pile of sand.

Shred stood to the side, Mikan and him without a grain of sand on them. At the sight presented to him, three pairs of legs sticking out of the colorless sands, even he cracked a smile, albeit a minuscule one.

Ichigo's spiky, orange hair popped out of the ground like a springtime daisy. He slowly stood up, dusting sand from off his Shinigami robe and spitting more from out his mouth. Alongside him, Uryuu and Chad did the same thing, all looking as graceful as a fumbling, newborn calf.

"Why didn't you give us a warning?" Uryuu demanded, adjusting his glasses irritably. Shred gave a half- shrug.

"I thought you three would have a bette'h reaction time than that," He responded in a levelheaded tone. Before Ichigo could shoot back a retort, he was once again face down in the sand when the ground gave out from beneath his feet.

Shred quickly flash stepped back a few feet, eyes glinting at the sight before him. Maybe he could let the kiddies handle it.

It was some kind of sand monster, around 15 feet high and wide and dense enough that if it fell, he probably could've felt the tremors. With its arms longer than its thick legs, the Hollow was disproportionately sized and resembled an overgrown dough boy.

Finally, it lifted its head, revealing a sand castle- shaped head and two slanted, glinting eyes.

"I am Runuganga!" It bellowed, forcing Ichigo, Uryuu, and Chad to shield their faces, and Shred to turn his back in order to shelter Mikan from the fierce winds sent billowing their way.

"Runuganga is the Guardian of the White Sands, and will not allow intruders into Las Noches!" He growled again, and took a distinctly combative stance, despite its heavy, gray limbs.

"Ichigo." Shred stated simply. The orange- haired teenager turned his head, eyes wide in surprise, but, and Shred noted with a grunt of impressiveness, certainly not fear. "I'm sure I can trust you guys on this one. There ain't no time for me to be skippin' around, playin' pattycake, you get me?"

"No! I mean, it's way too dangerous for you to protect both yourself _and_ Mikan. Are you really sure that's a good-" Ichigo protested, but the large man was already gone before he could even finish his sentence. Ichigo muttered a curse under his breath and he looked across the horizon for any traces of the man, but there were none.

Shred was gone, all by himself to find Orihime and have her heal Mikan. Ichigo wasn't even too clear on what was happening, what with the living sandcastle roaring in front of him. The only feeling he had as he charged forth to battle the monster was the sense of impending doom, an uneasiness in his mind and a heaviness in his heart.

* * *

"Is this it?" The white- haired Captain asked the jail keeper, who in turn nodded and stepped to the side respectfully. The sound of footfalls on the cold cement ground made Grimmjow lift his head, half- curious as to whom was paying a visit to a Hollow like him. He wasn't disappointed.

"So it's you." He said in a low voice, all traces of curiosity gone. Captain Hitsugaya stared impassively at the shackled, blue- haired Arrancar, and bitter memories of being kicked flashed through his mind.

"I had a feeling you weren't human, but I never would have guessed an Espada would go as low as walk among those in the Human World. Disguised as one of them," Toshiro scoffed, a touch of disgust making its way into his large turquoise eyes.

Grimmjow growled, eyes glinting in the dull light. "Listen up, kid, you don't know shit so don't act like you do, alright?" It probably wasn't the smartest way to talk to a Captain, especially in Grimmjow's situation, but when had he ever done what was expected of him?

Surprisingly enough, the Captain didn't make anything of the remark, and instead, challenged the former Espada.

"Then prove me wrong. Tell me why you were in the World of the Living and your death sentence may be postponed."

"Like hell I'll do that."

"Are you sure? This is the only chance you'll get at living a bit longer, Hollow," Captain Hitsugaya said with a bite. He was intent on getting information out of the Arrancar, so the threat was an empty one, but not completely. Yes, his execution was imminent.

"It doesn't matter what I tell you. I already know how you Soul Reapers work- you're all biased little bastards with no regards to shit! I did the Soul Society a _ favor _by killing off that Luppi and this is the thanks I get? And what about that girl? There was no reason for you bastards to go and off her too, but ya still did it, didn't you? Tch, come back and visit me when my time's up," Grimmjow growled and curled his upper lip. He didn't know he would get so heated after such a short interrogation, but didn't regret anything he had said. Not even the part about the girl, because it was true and he would damn well let it be known.

Only the last part was a lie. No way he was going to get himself executed down in the second layer of hell, by the hands of Shinigami. He already had a plan, anyway. Kind of.

Captain Hitsugaya turned away, his arms crossed and eyes closed. "Fine. Have it your way." Turning to speak with the cell keeper, he said, "Take him to cell number 86. You don't have to worry about him escaping. With the reiatsu- suppressing cuffs and the Gotei 13 squads, there's no way he'll make it past the front door of the Seireitei." And he left, leaving Grimmjow, once again, alone with only the presence of the jailer.

"Heh. You're real lucky that Captain Hitsugaya didn't kick you around a bit before you left. You son of a bitch." The Soul Reaper sneered, with all the attitude and cockiness of a pompous prat. It boiled Grimmjow's blood being spoken to like that, but he managed to keep a clear head, free of all thoughts but one.

He didn't miss the way the Soul Reaper's right hand rested on his zanpakuto's hilt, or the slight tremor in the keys when he inserted one into the heavy padlock on the cell.

"Get out. And don't fucking try any funny business, you hear me?" The Soul Reaper yelled, but his voice was strained. Grimmjow nodded, but was still met with the glaringly sharp tip of the zanpakuto. He remained silent as the Soul Reaper unchained him from the wall, but his heavy handcuffs still remained, which was to be expected.

Grimmjow was led out of the small cell, and walked in front of the Soul Reaper as they passed rows of empty cells. As they walked, the occasional prod on the back reminded Grimmjow of the sword point that was no doubt present. The air was stuffy and smelled damp and slightly moldy, with dim lighting and the faint sound of dripping water. It wasn't until they passed a door with light leaking from underneath that Grimmjow's attention was finally caught.

_Now_, his mind said, and he pounced, like a panther on his prey.

He spun around, landing a solid foot in the Soul Reaper's face and knocking his zanpakuto out of his hands. Grimmjow scoffed at how easily he had lost the grip on his weapon, but proceeded with the job.

"You little-!" The Soul Reaper began, but was cut short when a blue blur flashed in front of his eyes, the last thing he saw before letting his head hit the floor.

Grimmjow scowled at the fallen figure. All it had taken was a kick and a headbutt? The Soul Society was turning corrupt with weaklings, that was for sure. Picking up the discarded sword, he sawed through his confines, grimacing when his hand slipped and the side of the sword cut into his skin, no doubt drawing blood.

It took some time cutting through the heavy set of handcuffs, and even more so doing it behind his back, but as soon as they were off, Grimmjow flexed his hand twice, picked up the Soul Reaper's sword and ran for the entrance. First, he'd get out, and then he'd find _Pantera_, his own zanpakuto. No way he was leaving it here for all those creepy Soul Reapers to touch.

And then?

He'd always been the bad guy, but this time there was no way in hell he'd let himself die- not now. There were still places he needed to visit, people to kill. And a certain woman who couldn't make it down the stairs without him helping her.

**A/N: Well here it is. Grimm's grand escape. I hope it didn't feel too rushed, but I didn't want to keep our blue- haired cat cooped up in the jail too long. Feel free to review and as always, thanks for reading :)**


	18. Chapter 18: White Sands and Halls

**A/N: (Somewhat long A/N) Well, all I can say is school got in the way. Also, I'm getting a really bad urge to write another GrimmxOc story, and you can bet that's not going to help my update schedule one bit. Another obvious thing: this story does NOT follow the Bleach storyline (btw, disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, only this story). Things will be shifted, events altered, but you'll know soon enough. Oh and one, FINAL, disappointing note that this chapter's a little shorter than usual :\ sorry but enjoy! **

**Chapter 18**

**White Sands and Halls**

* * *

"Ya know, Mikan, part of me feels bad leavin' the Strawberry and his friends to deal with that blob by theselves. But then I remembered who you were, and what I was doing here," Shred said solemnly while quietly walking down the starch white halls of Las Noches.

Mikan's hazel- colored eyes were wide open, taking in every inch of her surroundings. She had woken not long ago, stirring just after Shred stepped foot into the vast castle where the ex- Shinigami Aizen and his army of Arrancars resided. Mikan's mind was a bit hazy and there was an intense, pounding headache, not to mention a sharp throbbing at the small of her back and the same spot on her stomach, despite Shred's carefulness in holding her.

Where was she, anyway?

"Mm...Shred?" She asked in a small and weak, but certainly not trembling. Shred was carrying her, bridal- style, and her head rested on the palm of one of her hands. Mikan closed her eyes again when her mind became particularly clouded. Why was she so tired? And all she could remember was... blue hair.

"Yeah?" He grunted, glancing down at the girl. Her eyelids lifted again to half- mast. Mikan bit her lip, hard enough to give a sting and draw blood. The painful sensation would hopefully jolt her back to the present and she'd remember what was happening.

"Where exactly are we?"

"Ah...Las Noches," Shred reluctantly answered. Although he was glad the girl was awake and seemed to be functioning, he had hoped she would stay unconscious for a while more, just so he'd be able to avoid answering any awkward questions.

"Las Noches... like Hueco Mundo, Las Noches?" Mikan shrieked. Her heart started beating like a caged hummingbird, fluttering in her rib cage. Damn, she must have really been out of it to not have noticed she'd been transferred to a whole other dimension. And why was her _boxing instructor_ here as well? She vaguely remembered him saying something regarding the topic of Arrancars and Urahara, but that had been a long time ago.

Speaking of Hueco Mundo- could humans even survive in such a different atmosphere? Wasn't she practically a sitting duck since she didn't have any powers of her own? What about Ichigo, anyway? And-

_Grimmjow._

Mikan had to mentally take a deep breath to steady her trembling hands. Her heart rate was still spiking, but she allowed herself to quietly melt down for a moment. The last time she'd seen him, he had been taken away in chains. She could have cared less at that moment where she was; where was _he_? Mikan turned her head to look around Shred's shoulder, staring far down at the long empty hallway behind them. She was half- hoping her eyes would've been met with shocking blue hair, but there was nothing but black and white.

She stayed quiet for a long moment before she said to Shred, "Can you put me down, now?"

The shades- wearing man raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I don't think that's a good idea, given the condition yer in."

Mikan pressed her lips into a line. When would everyone stop treating her like she was something fragile, made of glass?

"Put me down, now," She said in a firmer voice. Shred glanced down to see her hazel eyes were hard as flint and pinning him down in the most uncomfortable way.

For someone as intimidating- looking as he was, he didn't seem all that scary doing as he was told.

Mikan landed lightly on her feet, which she noticed had been donned with her sneakers. It was an offhanded thought, but she was glad she wearing her comfortable, worn out sneakers rather than her usual, flimsy flats.

She rolled her neck on her shoulders, cracked her knuckles, and relished in hearing the sound of her joints popping. There was suddenly a sharp tug at her back that made her wince, but she ignored it as best as she could. Mikan felt a sense of victory. Despite the fact that her head felt like there were hammers pounding away on the inside, her feet were planted firm against the ground, and she gave no look of weakness. In fact, flexing her fingers, she hardly felt like she had been pierced with a sword, mere hours ago.

Shred was baffled as well. He could see with his own two eyes that the girl was alright, seemingly perfect, in fact. But what he felt wasn't happiness, but a profound sense of impending dread. Had he underestimated his own abilities? If so, Shred's mind slowly started registering the fact that Urahara had made a horribly, terribly wrong mistake in sending Mikan to Hueco Mundo. If she was out of danger, there was absolutely no need for her to be here.

She was in the lion's den, and to the Arrancars the dwelled in Las Noches, she was like a tiny twig, easily snapped in half by even low- ranking Arrancars. Shred would protect her with all his strength, of course, but what then? The original plan had been for all five people to get Mikan to Orihime as fast as possible, and then Shred would open a garganta himself, bringing all five people back to the World of the Living.

The plan seemed a lot simpler when they had hatched it.

Mikan looked to Shred with a fierce determination in her eyes.

"Hey, we should probably get a move on," She said, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well I'm assuming we're here to find Orihime, right?" She asked while moving once more. Shred followed her immediately, making sure to keep close enough that he could grab her elbow and whisk her away at the drop of a hat.

Here it was. Urahara had only left Shred with one job, and that was to protect Mikan above all else.

"Listen, Mikan. We need to leave. Like now," He cleared his throat and looked down the hallway that felt like stretched on forever. There was slight disturbance in the air, although that was normal considering Las Noches was crawling with Hollows. Still, this was something else. Something ominous and crackling with spiritual pressure. It's strength wasn't so overwhelming that Shred was about to be intimidated by it, but it was nothing to laugh at.

"Shred- why?" What's going on?" Mikan asked, her eyes tinted with worry when she saw how on- edge the large man was.

"I can open a garganta now and we'll get ya home. Don't worry 'bout Ichi and the others, they'll be fine, I know it. It's...just...what the hell?" Shred muttered when he heard faint, distant footsteps. It was practically his cue to start moving. Remembering the incantation Urahara had told him in order to summon a garganta, Shred reached placed both his hands on the cold floor of Las Noches and started chanting, the words tumbling out as fast as he could utter them.

"My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds." The footfalls grew louder, just the sound alone exuding an ominous air. Mikan's heard thudded in her chest while her eyes, practically the size of baseballs, stared down the hallway to her right. Why were her hands so cold and numb? She felt so frozen in time...

"My left hand is the blade that binds reality." Mikan wasn't even hearing the words coming out of Shred's mouth. What she had thought was one set of footfalls became more distinctly two.

"The black haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis!" Shred shouted and a garganta ripped open, the dark entrance like black ink on pale parchment.

"Mikan, let's go!" Shred wrapped one thick arm around her waist and lifted her right off the ground. Everything seemed to happen so fast, Mikan didn't even have time to process what was going on. One moment she was tucked under Shred's arm like a log and the next...

She was painfully aware she was on the floor. Shred's arm was still around her back but... it wasn't attached to Shred and as she rubbed the fingers on her left hand together, they were smeared in a sticky, crimson splash of color. Speaking of which, made _her_ blood run cold. Mikan's hazel pupils were trembling in disbelief and shock as she stared at the substance that coated her left shoulder and hand. Shred was saying something in a rough voice, but it was as if her front had been glued to the ground and she could only see what was in front of her. She understood one thing though-

"Well, well, well. Lookie here, a... Soul Reaper? And a lil' damn human. This should be easy, eh Tesla?" Came a voice as unfamiliar as it was creepy.

A scream pierced the halls.

**. . . **

And in that case, he'd better get his shit together and grab the thing before he was a dead man.

"Hey, you! Stop!" Yelled some street vendor when Grimmjow accidentally knocked over a cart of fruit. The blue- haired man raised a hand in apology, but paid no more attention as he ran through the roads of the Seireitei with absolutely no idea where he was going. Running was significantly slower than a quick sonido, but he'd get caught twice as fast if he used his Hollow abilities, since his spiritual pressure would give him away like a blaring siren. He'd done his best to conceal his above- normal reiatsu, but it was difficult getting a hand on it when he was seeking out his zanpakuto's reiatsu at the same time.

Grimmjow skidded around a corner, wrapping his hand around the stone edge of the house to propel himself forward, only to be met with a dead end.

"Dammit!" Grimmjow growled in aggravation and he pushed halfheartedly against the wall, which didn't budge, unsurprisingly. With his palms flat against the wall, Grimmjow sighed exasperatedly and shut his eyes, trying to feel the pull of a connection between him and _Pantera_.

It was exactly like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were so many varying spiritual pressures in the Soul Society, high and low and all as equally unfamiliar to Grimmjow, that zeroing in on a single one was impossible. It wasn't that Grimmjow was lacking in his abilities to search out spiritual pressures (tch, he wasn't Kurosaki), but simply that he just didn't sense his zanpakuto at all. In that case, where the fuck was it? In any case, it would best still be in one piece when he got his hands on it, or there would be hell to pay.

"Looking for something?" Asked a chilling voice. The Arrancar whipped around to face the Soul Reaper, cloaked in a captain's _haori_ and a funky blue headpiece. And then there were the fifty more Soul Reapers behind him, all posed in offensive stances and ready to attack at the drop of a hat.

But Grimmjow was more interested in the sheathed zanpakuto rested on the palm of the captain's left hand. There was no mistaking the blue scabbard it was sheathed in, and Grimmjow wanted his sword _back_.

"That's mine," he said bluntly, narrowing his eyes at the grinning captain. Grimmjow could hear his teeth grinding, the habit triggered by the annoying way the face- painted guy looked at it. He had shiny gold teeth, a painted face, was obviously suppressing his massive, captain- level spiritual pressure, and gave Grimmjow the creeps. Just thinking of the guy touching what belonged to him made Grimmjow shiver with disgust. Almost. He wouldn't show weakness in the face of the enemy.

"My name is Kurotsuchi, captain of the twelfth divison." Grimmjow didn't respond. He didn't give two shits about the creep's name.

"I told Central 46 to hand you over to my division rather than sticking you into a simple prison, but they said something about 'harsh and unusual treatment,' whatever that means. I think it's pointless to tell you now, but don't move or I will kill you," he said simply, not at all fazed by Grimmjow's aggressive features. Glassy gold eyes clashed with piercing blue. The muscles in Grimmjow's legs felt like coiled springs, tense from his on- edge stance. It hardly escaped his attention that the overwhelming wave of black- clad Shinigami were slowly cornering him against the wall. There was also an additional two spiritual pressures headed towards their location, most likely to be more captains. But they were moving too slow. He already had a plan.

Well, he was more of a improviser when it came to plans anyway.

Grimmjow focused his mind and readied his body, making sure not to give away his intentions, although Kurotsuchi was already unsheathing his own zanpakuto. The air was thick with tension thick enough to choke a person.

_Just do it, two moves is all it will take. Just... now! _Grimmjow leaped into action from his thoughts, having given no hints of his movement before hand, he had the element of surprise. His luck had gotten his this far, but now was the time to test how far his Hollow powers went.

Grimmjow sonido-ed forward, nearly a hair's away from the captain's black and white face. At the same time Kurotsuchi swung his sword, Grimmjow snatched his own from the bitterly cold hands on the captain.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Grimmjow and Kurotsuchi moved too fast in too short a time for the other Shinigami to react. The bluenette withdrew back, Kurotsuchi curled his left hand closed, only barely scraping his long fingernails against the handle, and swung his oddly- shaped zanpakuto in an arc in front of him, ripping a small, neat cut in one of the flaps of Grimmjow's black and white jacket.

"Like I give two shits!" The hotheaded Arrancar did a back flip of sorts, giving his zanpakuto a final tug out of the captain's clutches and aiming a kick at his face while he was at it; which Kurotsuchi swiftly dodged. Grimmjow sonidoed off the wall without looking back once and landed on the sky. He didn't stop once his feet were planted in the air; the sound of different kidos whizzing behind him gave an incentive to keep moving.

There was a weird feeling that he felt when his free hand ran across the sky, when his fingers expertly pulled apart the reiatsu, ripping open a brand new garganta. Opening the pathways was something he hadn't done in ages, but a skill that he could never forget, and clearly, being an Arrancar had its perks.

There was nothing to think, nowhere else he could go but forward as he plunged into the somewhat comforting darkness of the garganta. His mind was running his body for him, his old instincts were resurfacing to the top again. It was as if he was back in the Human World, when he had first arrived by summoning that garganta. Only this time, he'd be in for a surprise when he came out the other side of the garganta.

Since he had been an Espada, it had been easy business for him to open a garganta at will. It wasn't like for Soul Reapers, who had to say a whole incantation and create paths of reautsi once inside, but rather a simple, 5- second transport from one side to another. So it was after Grimmjow had leaped into it that he exited rather ungracefully, sailing through the air and landed with his right shoulder taking the brunt of the fall.

"Shit," he swore, dusting himself while slowly standing up. Nevertheless, a corner of his mouth turned up, revealing his signature, wicked grin. It was only until he got his bearings back and looked around the place that his eyebrows knit together, his mouth slightly open. The feeling of shock hit him like a punch and he took a step back, raising the tip of his zanpakuto up. There wouldn't be a moment where it would be lowered, at least not while he was here.

Damn, his makeshift plan had really screwed up, but he'd just open up another garganta. Everything would be just peachy. Right?

This had _not_ been where he was expecting to land in. In fact, it was hard to say whether he preferred his current location or the Soul Society better.

The white flooring and walls were so familiar he had to suppress the urge not to just nail a cero through them all. But how could he not? After all, he was back in Las Noches.

**A/N: (1/2/15) Just edited and made this longer! I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet, I feel like I need a few more plot twists and turns c: I feel bad about what I have planned for this story, but don't worry, everything will be juuust fine :D And as always, thanks for reading. **


	19. Chapter 19: Au Revoir

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait (as usual) but here's the next chapter! Note, there is a lot of...um... fluff? No, more like fluff/angst/ hero saves the day/ more sadness kind of thing...if that's even a THING. A little short, but hope you enjoy :) **

**Chapter 19**

**Au Revoir**

The only sounds that reached his ears were his own footfalls, distinct and ringing in the otherwise silent hallway. There was a sense of slight nostalgia, as he slouched his way down the corridor, hands stuffed into the deep pockets of his hakama.

"Che," Grimmjow scoffed quietly. The noise sounded like a small stone had skidded across the marble floor. Where was he even going, anyway? Out of all the nightly excursions he'd had in his time at Las Noches, this particular hallway didn't seem so familiar. In fact, if he didn't know better, it felt as if it were one of that bastard Szayel Aporro's sick traps.

After thirty seconds of more walking, he'd decided he had enough. Grimmjow stopped in his tracks and drew out his right hand, his open palm facing his right. There was a flooding warmth in the palm of his hand, and then a brilliant blue color. It felt good watching his cero destroy the flawless interior of Las Noches.

Grimmjow stepped over the rubble and waved a hand through the billowing cloud of dust. Peering around the ruined wall, it looked as if the hallway was just outside someone's room. The only furnishings present were a bed, simple couch, table and chair. There were no windows, making the room seem like a prison or confinement cell, which in some ways it was.

"Can I help you?" Came a small, but strangely familiar voice to Grimmjow's immediate left. He was too hardened a warrior to flinch, but there was a bolt of annoyance that he'd been caught off guard by-

The blonde Arrancar?

Unbelievably short, diamond- cut face, and unnerving, violet eyes. What was her name again? Lilith, Leeko, Raiko, it was something with an "L" pronounced with an "R."

"Former _Sexta_ Espada? Grimmjow Jeagerjaques?" The Arrancar stood like a petite doll, totally out of place in the den of monsters. Her uniform's tailcoats dragged on the floor as she turned and started walking away, her shoes sounding like they had considerable heel to them- an impractical footwear for combat.

She had hardly drawn in another breath when, not for the first time either, she found herself looking down the side of Grimmjow's zanpakuto. Gingerly raising a hand, a few fingers lightly made contact with the metal, only to be sharply rapped with the flat.

"Haven't you ever learned not to turn your back on the enemy?" The bluenette spat the words out, loathing seething from his electric eyes. This little _tidbit_ of an Arrancar made him mad _because_ she was so little. It was practically a disgrace to Hollows everywhere. Then again, what did that make him?

"You won't kill me," she said simply. "By the way, have you forgotten my name already? It's Leiko." The blond smiled cheerfully, with her eyes closed, as if there wasn't a deadly weapon pointed at her vulnerable throat.

Leiko, that was it. She was the one Grimmjow had encountered days before, that stormy night in the skies. He distinctly remembered her being a little... odd. Whatever it was, it was definitely showing now.

"And what the hell makes you think I won't?" He growled back, carefully applying a hinting amount of pressure on the sword.

Leiko opened her eyes again, all traces of a smile gone. "I thought your bond with Mikan would've been stronger. Can't you sense her?"

Grimmjow's lips parted a fraction of an inch, his eyes narrowed in confusion. His heart started beating a touch faster, and perhaps it was just his imagination, but there was suddenly a numbness that washed over him. The feeling of dread. Something he wanted nothing to do with.

"She's here."

* * *

"Oh my _fucking_ hell," Mikan hissed to herself as she sprinted down the winding, maze- like corridors of Las Noches. There seemed to be no end. Her vision was blurred from the unshed tears stinging her eyes, but there was no time to wipe them away. Her legs were running like they'd never worked before, as if her life depended on them functioning- which in a significant way, it did. Loose strands of hazel hair caught in her mouth and she spat them out, brushing fallen bangs out of her face and wishing she'd had a hair tie. Not only that, she wished she were back home.

Shred had said something, done something, and transported her to wherever she currently was. And the only meager weapons she had been left with? Her chatty mouth, feeble fists, and Shred's parting words, "Don't worry. You'll be safe, just run."

_Just run? You'll be safe? _How in hell could she blindly do both? Mikan was absolutely lost, hopelessly confused, and tired already. Above all, she was scared. Afraid, and there was no denial. What mentally stable human wouldn't be? It didn't matter how many Hollows she'd witnessed fall to their deaths, no matter how many dangerous spiritual pressures she'd felt, _nothing_ compared to the blindness and loss of direction she currently was experiencing. All that had been in her own home, in the Human World, but here?

Here, she was the weakest of the low and a mere toy, capable of being snapped in two by the gentlest of hands.

Her breaths came out short and loud, although she tried her best to keep the noise to a minimum. Seeing the hallway open up to two paths, Mikan took the right and found herself in an altogether different wing of the building. Everything was still black and white, but there was one single door at the end of the short hallway. The colorless door frame was lined with a solitary black border, and there was a medium- sized, Gothic number 4 etched into the center of the wood.

4\. Mikan wasn't stupid enough to know that she was supposed to get the hell out of there and away from the door, _pronto_. She turned around and retreated right back to where she came from, to the fork in the hallway, but had no idea what to do. Stay, and she was a sitting duck for whatever lied ahead. Move, and she'd just find death sooner.

Mikan backed up against the nearest wall and slid down to the pearly marble floor. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably and the tears were starting to rain down. Her heart felt as if it would burst right out of her chest if she stifled her cries any longer.

Was there a more pathetic sight? At that moment, Mikan truly hated herself. She despised how heavy her tears felt, streaking down her pale face. The thought of having left Shred behind made her want to throw up. Mikan screwed her eyes tight and covered her mouth with one hand, curling the other into a tight fist, so much so that she felt her nails digging crescent- shaped indents into her palm.

But then she let out a cough, letting it ring off the desolate corridors. It was strange how a single cough made her throat feel like it was scratchy from fire, though, and when lifted the hand covering her mouth, there were a bright scarlet flecks painted on it.

That's when she really started hyperventilating, and the more she drew in breaths, the harder it was to take the next.

What was going on? Was she terminally ill? Mikan knew she'd very recently, extremely so, suffered a critical injury, so perhaps she hadn't fully healed yet? But if that were the case-

Uncontrollable tears spilled over her lower lashes again at the thought of dying young. She still had so much she wanted to do, like travel to exotic places. There was just a dreadfully sickening feeling that her life was going to end here, in this revoltingly colorless dungeon. It was so unfair. And it was selfish to think that she had never even wanted to be part of any of this, because that wasn't even remotely close to the truth.

She loved Grimmjow, didn't she? That itself had pulled her into more danger than she'd experienced in all her years before she had met him. Yet she didn't think she would have traded it for the world. His psychotic laughter and shark- tooth smile, azure strands of hair that loomed over his ocean- blue eyes, those had all been hers to experience. She'd take her memories of him to the grave.

Mikan slowly stood up, cradling her blood- speckled hand as if it were injured. Her legs shook like they were made out of noodles, but she forced them to start walking anyway. She hadn't given up, per say, but she didn't know what she was doing either. Maybe she'd run into the infamous Aizen and his loyal gang of Espadas. She was sort of curious to see who had replaced Luppi anyway.

As usual, it didn't take long for her to find trouble. Or rather, for trouble to find her.

Faintly behind her, there was a sound that resembled a humming, electric fence. It was the sound of two Arrancars sonidoing.

Wasting no time, Mikan broke into a dead sprint, only faltering when she started violently coughing into her elbow, then dropping to her knees and watched as crimson decorated the otherwise boring floor. The stomach- turning taste of metal coated her mouth, but she tore her gaze away from the sight on the floor and focused on what was in front of her. She had to find a way out- a door, window, anything!

Time was up. The heavy feel of double spiritual pressure burdened Mikan's delicate, human shoulders. There was a suffocating feel to it, but oddly enough, comforting as well. Like... an itchy blanket.

"MIKAN!" The aforementioned girl whipped her head of hazel locks around, only to be tackled to the ground by some person she'd never seen before in her life. In fact, all she _could_ see was blond, white, and a mouthful of hair to boot.

When the constricting arms finally let her go and held her at arms length, Mikan was met with the petite, distinctly Arrancar face of some girl. There was an elegant, somewhat exotic appeal to her, but Mikan was getting intensely weirded out as well. The violet- eyed girl was beaming like it was her birthday, showing off all her pearly whites, random ones more jagged than others.

And as quickly as she had come, she was gone, replaced with a much more familiar face. And this time, when even more constricting arms were bound tightly around her, Mikan let herself be overwhelmed with the relief that flooded over her. She let herself cry her eyes out some more because, damn it all, she was finally back in Grimmjow's arms.

"Where have you been? Idiot." Mikan cried, her words muffled in the broad shoulder of the one person she'd been longing to see for the past who- knew- how- many hours. She allowed herself this little bit of self- reward, and it at least compensated getting stabbed in the stomach. Grimmjow's hand resting on her head and threading his fingers through her hair, his arm wrapping around her back, she soaked in every second of it. She didn't give a flying shit if a cero flew through the room right at that moment and they all blew up; she felt a hell of a lot safer with Grimmjow than she did by herself.

"I- I can't d- deal with this, Gr- rimjow. I'm so sorry," Mikan choked out, her fists bunching up the back of his white jacket. Ss her grip loosened, she noticed blood had stained onto the material, but decided she like it better that way. That little splash of color meant that he was different, wasn't he? He really wasn't like any other Arrancar.

**. . . **

Grimmjow's eyes flitted about behind the girl's wracking back. He could _feel_ her sorrow, _hear_ her pain through the cries. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Comforting her was unlike anything he'd done before. There was a human element to it, and yet he, a Hollow through and through, was doing it. This was it. He really couldn't call himself an Arrancar anymore, could he?

It was almost humorous, but he didn't dare laugh. Not when Mikan was such an emotional wreck. A small scoff escaped his lips when he heard her apologize- for what? He had no fucking clue. The girl was always dumb as rocks and cried so easily. She was so fragile. And there was no better reason as to why he would always have to protect her. It was a huge pain in the ass, but Grimmjow didn't even mind that much, if he was being truthful.

He let go of the girl and pulled her to her feet, sweeping her off them and into his arms. Leiko was to his left, looking as perky as an energetic puppy. Freak.

"You good?" He asked Mikan, who just nodded and rested her head on his chest. Her eyes closed, and she left out a huff of exhaustion. She felt like she'd cried buckets in a single hour.

"Lead the way," Grimmjow jerked his head at Leiko, who stuck out her unusually pointed tongue and marched forward, hand resting on the pink hilt of her zanpakuto. The bluenette followed after the streaking coattails, like twin waving flags.

Mikan opened her eyes a fraction of an inch, staring at the long sheet of blond hair that appeared and disappeared as she sonidoed.

"Who is she?" She murmured. Grimmjow bent his head forward and gently kissed Mikan's forehead before he could decide otherwise and responded with, "Someone we can trust."

A light red dusted over her cheeks as she smiled to herself. Suddenly, another gut- wrenching cough died in her throat, surpressed by Mikan's hand. She removed her hand and saw the blood that coated her palm, and felt a droplet roll down the corner of her mouth. Sighing, Mikan's head lolled back onto Grimmjow's chest and her hand fell in her lap. She hadn't been pulled into the lulls of sleep. She was unconscious.

.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Cliffhanger but eehh... not really, I guess. I really don't know how I feel about this chapter. It's definitely a big linking bridge for Grimm and Mikan, but a little touchy feely. But anyways, tell me what you guys think! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Leiko because I am DEFINITELY feeling the Leiko vibe right now... or is that just me? :D [blah blah blah, more useless self- advertising] but do review! I love reading them :) and as always, thanks for reading. **


	20. Chapter 20: The Good and the Bad

**A/N: Wow, the big 20! Twenty- ka- bam. Twentyopolis. Twenty- schmenty. And it's aaall because of you guys, seriously, so thank you. :) this story has gone way beyond what I would've expected of it, so thank you all SO MUCH for keeping up, reviewing, and putting up with my hell awful updating pattern. Speaking of which, this is, as usual, overdue. Also (assuming most of you have read or watched Bleach...yeah) I've decided to majorly gloss over the whole "Rukia and Renji rescue the gang and Nel comes with her buddies" stuff because I really just want to get to it :3 Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20 (gee whiz! someone cue the trumpets)**

**The Good and the Bad**

"You really can't do anything by yourself, can you?" Came the arrogant voice.

"S- shut up! That thing just caught me by surprise, that's all," Ichigo retorted with a scoff. It wasn't as if he had _needed_ the annoying red- head's help- he, Chad, and Uryuu could've handled the sand monster all by theirselves.

And they _definitely_ hadn't needed Rukia's help either.

"ITSYGOO! NEL WANTH TO PLAY!" Screamed an exasperated, high- pitched voice that made everyone cringe. Ichigo's eye twitched irritably as he felt his hair practically being ripped out from its roots. He batted at the turqoise- haired midget atop his head, wanting nothing more than for her and her companions to get lost. Although, given everyone was currently depending on their pet Hollow, Bawabawa, to ferry them to Aizen's stronghold, that wasn't exactly an option.

"You two, quit chattering. Stay sharp, Las Noches is right up ahead!" Rukia shouted out over the sound of churning sand under Bawabawa. Renji, Uryu, Chad, and Ichigo simultaneously sobered up, each tightening his grip on his weapon. Where they were headed, they'd need more than just luck to stay alive.

Ichigo looked up at Nel, who rested on his orange locks as if it were a feather pillow.

"Listen, Nel, thanks for bringing us this far, but I'm afraid this is where it has to end. You and your friends come any further with us and you'll most likely be seen as traitors. So, this is goodbye," he explained, and lifted her by the back of her raggedy dress. After placing her safely on the back of Bawabawa, Ichigo stood up, one hand on the hilt of Zangetsu.

"As soon as we get close enough, you and I break down those walls, got it Renji?" Ichigo said, slightly bending his legs in anticipation for the jump.

The redhead scoffed, but still stood next to him and readied his weapon. "Yeah, yeah. Don't tell me what to do."

As the ragtag team of Shinigami, Quincy, and human sped towards impending uncertainty, Ichigo and Renji both suddenly unleashed each own's special attack in a brilliant flash of reaitsu.

Rukia shield her face from the blast, her cloak shielding her from most of the small rubble that had exploded everywhere. Bawabawa churned to an eventual stop, Rukia, Uryu, and Chad all leaping from his back and sinking onto the white sands that had been all they had seen since arriving in Hueco Mundo.

"Goodbye, Nel," Ichigo parted from the small child, who still reached for him with chubby fists shaking vigorously at his retreating back. The sounds of footfalls grew more and more distant with each second, yet Nel's cries seemed to follow the group, adding an element of tangible sadness.

"ITYSGOO!"

. . .

In another part of Las Noches, a smaller group, trio to be exact, sped down a series of halls, which were designed more like mazes. They came to a stop outside a large door, the frame of which was white and nearly impossible to distinguish from the same- colored walls.

"Why'd we stop?" Grimmjow demanded, shifting Mikan into a more comfortable position in his arms. Her head lolled around and her arm dangled out of his grip, making for a rather humorous scene, had they _been_ in a little more humorous scene.

Leiko stared with impassive, violet eyes at the hot- blooded bluenette, carefully thinking about how to exactly say what she was thinking. She raised a finger to her pursed lips, violet orbs looking to the corner of her eyes in a model of thinking.

Grimmjow knit his eyebrows together, upper lip already curling in impatience. He emitted a low growl and shifted from foot to foot.

"Hey! I asked you a question an-"

"Would you mind doing a favor for me?" Leiko cut in, leaving Grimmjow speechless with a side of anger. Before he could make a move at her that would most likely result in her being dead, Leiko moved closer to the door, pressing her ear against it to listen for any sounds on the opposite side. She looked at Grimmjow through through her peripheral vision, although he was glaring intensely at her.

"What do you say about stealing the hougyoku?" Leiko suddenly said brightly, clasping her hands together with a wide grin on her face. Grimmjow's glare intensified (if that was even possible) and he took a step closer to the _much_ smaller figure.

"Listen, ya little chit. Your job was to get us outta here, and now you're asking me to get the damn _hougyoku_ for you? You have about five seconds to get your shit together before I smear you across the walls." He said aggressively, about at his wit's end with the strange Arrancar.

Leiko raised her hands in defense and shook them quickly. "No, no, it's not like that! Trust me, I will get you and your lady friend to safety, but in exchange, I need help destroying the hougyoku." Without warning, she turned around and opened the door; Grimmjow instinctively flinching away from whatever was confined in the room. Leiko was already stepping inside before he could stop her, so it was with a reluctant scoff that he followed her inside.

Grimmjow raised Mikan so she was strung over his left shoulder, leaving him with a free hand to latch onto Leiko's shoulder with.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled. He hadn't missed the raised pedestal in the center of the room, the only thing present. There was a glass case placed over a small sphere of swirling black, dark purple, and specks of midnight blue. Its very presence brought a heavy miasma of something terrible. It clung to the atmosphere, draining all warmth and bathing in the darkness.

Grimmjow placed his right hand on Mikan's back, feeling her shiver. He eyed her thin sweater and ankle pants, swearing under his breath.

The sooner they got back home, the better.

Leiko got up close to the pedestal, almost within arms length of it, but sensibly remaining a ways part from it. That is, until she jumped high enough to get her upper body onto the raised platform, knocked the glass case off, and snatched the sphere right off from its stand.

"The fuck is wrong with you?!" Grimmjow shouted, eyes wide with disbelief at the psychotic Arrancar currently staring at the object she held in the palm of her hand. She held it between her pointer finger and her thumb, as if it were simply a marble.

Grimmjow grabbed Leiko's wrist, careful to keep the hougyoku away from him. "Tell me what the fuck you're doing!" He demanded, having half the mind to just cero the crazy bitch there and be done with it all. However, something told him that that was a bad idea. With a capital B. Dumb bitch was messing with his head.

Leiko looked at him with serious eyes for once, eyebrows furrowed and all.

"I may be a weak Hollow in turns of Aizen's army. But I don't care! Listen," Leiko reassured when Grimmjow's grip started tightening,"truth is that I don't like Aizen. I'm actually a former Fraccion, but I've had my rank and everything reduced to nothing. Las Noches is an artificial, Shinigami- made place in Hueco Mundo. It doesn't belong here."

"So what? You're asking me to destory the hougyoku and get rid of Aizen?" Grimmjow asked disbelievingly. Even he didn't know what the mysterious hougyoku was supposed to do, but he seriously doubted destroying it would take Aizen with it. If anything... it'd be all the Aizen- made Arrancars that would be the ones to go. Grimmjow himself, including.

"I don't know. Just take it with you for now, I'm sure you'll find a way to get rid of it in the World of the Living," Leiko urged, unwrapping Grimmjow's hand from her slender wrist and pressing the hougyoku into his palm.

The bluenette stared at the inky ball in the center of his hand. Why did he have to listen to the blonde bitch anyways? It wasn't as if whatever- her- name- was had done anything of use so far. Plus, there was no telling what the absence of the hougyoku would mean.

After a split second hesitation, Grimmjow shook his head clear. "Whatever. I'll take it with me, but there's no use in me having it if I never even make it to the World of the Living!" he growled. Leiko grinned cheekily at him and made her way to the door.

"Hallelujah! Now let's get out b-" She shouted, leaping into the air, when there suddenly a quick smear of light that whipped across the room. Grimmjow's eyes barely managed to follow it before it retreated back into the hands of its owner.

"My, my, you two certainly ain't supposed ta be in here. Speakin' of which, I haven't seen ya in a while, ain't that right, Grimmy- kun?" Mused a voice that had always achieved in sending a cold shiver down the aforementioned bluenette's back.

Grimmjow swore loudly, immediately turning away the shoulder that Mikan was slung over. The guy gave him the creeps, what with his long slanted eyes and mile- wide grin... He hated Gin with every fiber of his being. But although Grimmjow was many times too proud for his own good, even he had to admit he was not willing to fight a battle against the ex- Shinigami. Especially not with as fragile a human as Mikan weighing him down, giving him one more thing to grind his teeth over.

Suddenly, Leiko drew her zanpakuto with a metallic- _shling!_ and surprising both men in the room. She held it with one hand, diagonally and pointed towards Gin, with the other hand resting on the flat.

She was grinning, but her eyes were closed. There was an intense pressure on all three supernatural beings in the room, but Grimmjow understood it better than the lavender- haired one. It was the comforting feeling of slipping out of a mediocre, average body, into one's all- powerful, true vessel. At least, that's what every Arrancar thought during Ressureccion.

Grimmjow thought she had to be absolutely, _postively_, batshit crazy for even having the _idea_ of going head- to- head with a Captain- level Shinigami and coming out unscathed, much less alive. With fierce eyes, he turned to her and shouted, "Oi! What the fuck do you think you're doing, idiot?! Don't give me shit like you think you'll stop him!" As he shouted, his voice grew louder and louder, as it became hard to hear over the intense circle of wind around Leiko's legs.

When she opened her eyes, they weren't a brilliant shade of violet anymore, but a deep, soulless purple, with the only traces of the previous color being the violet slits of irises. Her right hand ran down the edge of her zanpakuto, and as it drew blood from the palm of her hand, she revealed her release form.

"Bite, _Serpiente_!"

It was mostly curiosity that willed him to stay, but Grimmjow didn't let his guard down for a millisecond, not even when his eyes nearly shut from the wind blowing straight into his face.

There was a horribly animalistic hiss that came from Leiko, whose release form had transformed her into a new person altogether. Her arms were out in front of her in a defensive pose, with a stripe of gold armor that spiraled down both arms from her shoulders and ending several inches from her middle fingers in three deadly sharp claws. Her long tailcoats had been swapped for two slender, dull- gold, tails that brushed against the floor restlessly and the spinal bone- resembling Hollow fragment around her neck had elongated down her spine, in a resemblance to the backbone of a reptile. Leiko's body was covered in a shimmery gold and scaly body armor that faded as it crept up towards her neck, and ended in a mid- thigh skirt that seemed to flow. Her legs were tightly wrapped in knee- high matte gold boots with clawed feet.

"Damn. That's an awfully showy release form ya got there," Grimmjow had to comment. Compared to his simplistic one, hers was practically like a Vegas showgirl's performance costume.

Leiko smiled at him, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth, with a forked tongue darting in between. She brushed her long hair, which miraculously hadn't changed, over her shoulder and faced towards Gin's position next to the hougyoku pedestal, only to find he had vanished.

Grimmjow immediately used sonido to put a considerable distance between him and Leiko as soon as he saw Gin appear beside her. She barely rolled out of the way in time for Gin's zanpakuto to pierce through the wall and into the next. The lavender- haired Captain grinned as his sword instantly shrank back to travel- size, and he turned towards Leiko to speak.

"If ya don't mind, I kinda need that hougyoku back. Bad children like yerselves can't carry around somethin' as important as _that_," Gin said in a silky smooth voice. Grimmjow practically wanted to slice that bastard's head off then and there.

"You're a snake, Gin. And my Resurreccion is a serpent. I think it's kinda fitting we fight each other, don't you?" Leiko retorted equally as steady. Grimmjow had to give her props for that. If the midget was scared at all, she sure as hell didn't let it show. Then again, that was either incredibly badass, or incredibly stupid, in which case Grimmjow thought was the latter.

As Grimmjow watched Gin strike the blonde Arrancar again and again, he felt a surge of guilt. Gin didn't know he was the one who had the hougyoku, but Grimmjow couldn't fight the ex- Captain as he currently was. Mikan was more important than a thrill fight for the hell of it. And he had never asked Leiko to sacrifice her own life for the two of them either. That crazy freak had just slipped into her lizard suit and taken on Gin, just like that. Although it hadn't even been ten minutes, and she was hardly bleeding heavily from her left shoulder. The bluenette doubted she would last even a whole half hour.

And yet... he didn't help her. It wasn't as if she were his _friend_, far from it, in fact. He hardly knew her. Hollows were never meant to support and help out one another; it had always been every Hollow for itself, and that's the way it still was. Grimmjow just needed to get Mikan home, and he didn't particularly care if blood had to be shed on his hands for that to happen. After all, wasn't he always cast as the bad guy?

The ringing of armor against zanpakuto brought him back to his senses. Leiko's slitted eyes met with his azure ones, just for a moment, but Gin seized that second to elongate his zanpakuto and swing low. There was a sickening sound and an outburst of pain from Leiko as she collapsed to the ground, clutching at her left leg with one arm. Blood was spattered across her front and there was a flowing pool under where her left leg once was.

Grimmjow kept his face stony, his expression unreadable. He couldn't help her if she was the one who had entered the fight in the first place. He just had to know why. Why so much for someone you don't even know?

"Why?" He finally asked, drawing Gin's attention as well. The ex- Shinigami smiled and rested on his zanpakuto, waving one of his hands as if to say, _"hurry and tell your silly little story." _

"I was one of Master Nelliel Tu Oderschvank's Fraccion. I just wanted to bring her back," Leiko said, her voice breaking at the end. Her dark eyes were brimmed with tears, held back by the very ends of her eyelashes. Grimmjow closed his eyes and nodded, then vanished from sight as he sonidoed away.

"This is yer last chaaance. Give me the hougyoku," Gin ordered in a singsong voice. Her chin raised defiantly, Leiko stared back at the man, her decision final. Without a shred of mercy, Gin tilted his sword into the air, making sure it was nice and lined up with the defeated Arrancar in front of him...

And swung down.

. . .

**A/N: Omg, I hope I did that fight scene justice. And Leiko?! Whaaat. I'm really not feeling this chapter, just because I feel like I pulled a Last Episode of Root A and put in SO many running/ sonido scenes. :\ but make sure to review, if you did or didn't like the chapter, and as always, thanks for reading! c:**


	21. Chapter 21: Dying, dying, dead

**A/N: Alright, first of all, I apologize in advance for this incredibly short and incredibly late chapter! :D And more bad news, I won't be able to update until July 4 because I'll be travelling so sorry guys D: Anyways, I've decided to dedicate this one in honor of the latest Bleach manga chapters...if you all know what I'm talking about. Not saying what, in case it spoils stuff for some people, but needless to say, I quite literally almost did a backflip when I heard the news about certain characters...*nudge nudge ;)) Well then, I think I'll shut up so you can read now.**

**Chapter 21**

**Dying, dying, dead**

"Ughhh...I'm gonna throw up," Mikan mumbled as she tried her best not to focus on the vigorous, side- to- side rocking she was currently experiencing, when it suddenly came to a screeching halt and there was an instant sensation of being weightless.

"You better not vomit on me, punk," came a scathing, yet agitated, reply. Mikan blearily opened her eyes and two, strong, toned arms came into view, one either side of her shoulders. She also didn't miss the fact that they were holding her as if she were a cat, and arms length away from the man in front of her.

Mikan kicked her legs back and forth until Grimmjow deposited her into the sand, which she sank up to her knees in. The colorless sand was shockingly cold and lifted the hairs on the back of her neck. Everything was coming back to her in pieces... yet there was something wrong with the memories she was receiving. Flashes of bleach- blond hair shot by, the sound of clashing swords, and then a terrible, excruciating pain in her stomach that made her clutch it with all her strength as she doubled over. Nothing made sense, but why?

She looked up at the blue- haired man kneeling in front of her, who looked like he was debating between helping her or ignoring her. Mikan could hardly even remember... he was...

"Oh my God. Grimmjow," Mikan blurted out, and flung her arms around his neck. The battle- hardened Arrancar's face didn't betray a single thought he was thinking at the moment, but his eyes gave a glimpse of his inner concern for the girl as she wrapped her legs around his torso like a constricting snake. Grimmjow gave a scoff, trying to brush off her odd behavior as nothing more than trauma. He slowly got up from the sand, clutching Mikan close to his chest.

"What the fuck's up with you? You forget who I am or something?" He joked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood despite the mysteriously tense atmosphere. Mikan didn't reply to Grimmjow. She had buried her face into Grimmjow's broad shoulder and took deep breaths, acting as if it really had been a thousand years since she'd seen him. Her old habit of clenching and unclenching her jaw came back as she tried to calm her frantic heart and racing mind with the familiar, simply _powerful_ smell of Grimmjow.

He pressed his mouth into a strict line, not sure what to do. There was a burning sensation in his right pocket, where the light, yet monumental weight of the Hougyoku lay dormant. There was that whole issue too, and he was seriously debating whether to simply drop it somewhere in the dunes and be rid of its enormous responsibility.

But that would be fair to Leiko. And didn't everyone always expect the hero to shoulder the burden, take one for the team? He hated that. Life sure was a hell of a lot easier being evil and wreaking havoc.

Grimmjow slipped a hand into his pocket and curled his fingers around the small sphere. It felt cold, almost to the point where it was hot, which explained the burning feeling. As he got up, Mikan still wrapped around him like a baby monkey, he pondered just what exactly Aizen had wanted to do with it. The freaky ex- Shinigami had never shared his plans with any of his underlings, as far as Grimmjow was concerned. So what was it for? To create more Hollows?

The silence went on for as long as Grimmjow sonidoed, which wasn't a lengthy amount of time, to say the least. He'd covered no more than roughly two miles when he paused, eyes narrowed and sharp as a knife.

The quiet, desolate land of Hueco Mundo showed no obvious signs of life, aside from the occasional scatter of a weak Hollow, or the rustle of a dead tree's branches. Yet as a faint breeze lightly tousled his hair, Grimmjow detected a faint power signal. It was rapidly fading, fluctuating randomly, but it was approaching close and closer to Grimmjow and Mikan.

He slowly drew his sword and boldly set it in the direction of the spiritual pressure. He'd be damned if some lowly Hollow grabbed him by the ankles just as he leaped in the _Garganta_.

"Lower your sword. It's me," came a gruff, low voice. As the figure in the distance grew larger, the blue- haired Arrancar noticed it was limping, and relying heavily on some sort of makeshift cane, fashioned from a tree branch. It didn't take long for Grimmjow to realize who the mysterious person was.

The slow crunching sound of sand under heavy feet seemed to take decades until it stopped. There, with numerous cuts decorating his body like confetti, and one less leg than he had before crossing over to Hueco Mundo, was Shred.

"Damn... Nnoitra did a number on you, huh?" Quietly said the slightly shorter of the two. The once powerful, former- boxing coach with the mysterious backstory gave a slow nod, wincing as he did so. The steady _pitter patter _of blood dripping from his cleanly cut- off right leg didn't go unnoticed by the other man, who jerked his head in its direction.

"I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but-"

"I'm about to die," Shred said solemnly. He really was a sight for sore eyes. There was one particularly nasty- looking gash curving around his neck that made Grimmjow subconsciously feel his own.

Mikan had remained strangely quiet through the entire ordeal, and when Grimmjow peeked over his shoulder to make she wasn't dead, he rolled his eyes when he saw she was asleep. Again. It seemed to him that she was asleep more times than not ever since they had arrived in Hueco Mundo.

Shred turned so his back was to Grimmjow and Mikan. As pitiful as the man looked, Grimmjow had no intentions of helping him. It wasn't even the fact that he didn't like Shred, it was merely that there would be no point. They weren't in the World of the Living, where there were handy medicines and Orihimes lying around. No, they were in the harsh, cold environment of Hueco Mundo, where only the strongest of the strong survived.

A corner of Grimmjow's mouth quirked up before he quickly suppressed it and sobered up. He had just remembered a random term he had learned during his short education at Mikan's school. "Natural selection."

Upon hearing a bone- rattling fit of coughs from Shred, Grimmjow's brows furrowed together. The lunatic was wasting what little strength he already had left and was muttering something incoherent under his breath, sitting cross- legged in the sand. One hand was up, and there was a thin black fog surrounding it.

A few more minutes passed until one of them finally spoke. "What're you doing?" Grimmjow asked, after the black fog had begun taking the shake of something odd, but strangely familiar. It was hardening into a more substantial thing, with defined lines that were beginning to look like...

"It's the least I can do," Shred rasped out, and clutched his side. Trembling fingers swiped at the sands, grabbing his makeshift staff. He stood up onto shaky legs, and gestured to his left.

It was a _Garganta_, albeit one that was shaking around the corners at that.

"Go. Go back home with Mikan. Ya don't need to," Shred spat out blood, "worry about the others. They're tough, they'll handle." Grimmjow felt otherwise. When he had been an Espada, there had never risen an occasion when he'd felt this way, but there was the unspoken word of camaraderie. He felt like he was running from Aizen, from Gin, and even from helping Kurosaki and the other weaklings.

But then there was Mikan. And she had looked so confused and hurt when she had grabbed him, although he didn't have a clue as to why.

"Go!" Shred's rough voice pulled the azure- haired man out of his dizzying thoughts and, without thinking, without giving a second glance back, and without giving a fuck to anything but what was in front of him, Grimmjow surged into the black _Garganta. _

* * *

There was a loud sound, and it hurt her ears. The powerful shock waves of two swords clashing were so close, she could feel the gust of wind blast in her face. Her left leg also throbbed horribly, and it felt lighter than usual. Was she dead? The pain made her wish she were. Her body ached all over, and she couldn't even open her eyes, much less move her mouth to cry out.

"Hey! Try to get up!" Shouted a loud, obnoxious voice. Leiko bared her teeth at the sound, hissing at whoever was being _so_ annoying. Was it too much to ask for to die in peace? Geez.

"Don't tell me what to do..." She muttered, using her right forearm to push herself off the ground, on account of her left arm feeling like it had just gone through a shredder. She was a mess. What was even happening, anyway?

As her swimming vision slowly started taking shape again, Leiko watched as the orange- haired Shinigami with the Hollow mask clashed swords with the venemous Gin, who looked like he was having the time of his life. The room that had once held the Hougyoku was nearly completely destroyed, with three of the four walls crumbling and a giant hole in the ceiling that revealed the dark, outside sky of Hueco Mundo.

"Ichigo Kurosaki..." Leiko's head thrummed violently when she tried to stand up, forcing her to return back to her normal form. Her _resurreccion_ slipped off of her in shining strips, and joined together to form her zanpakuto again.

Using the sword as a walking stick, Leiko stood up on trembling legs as shaky as a newborn calf. Speculating upon their fight, Leiko could tell that Ichigo was fast, fast enough to avoid Gin's fatal blows and inflict some of his own attacks.

Leiko wasn't a fool though. She knew there was absolutely nothing she could do in her current state. Hell, she was down to two properly functioning limbs! It was time to bounce.

Once out of the near proximity of the battling monsters, Leiko closed her eyes and daintily sniffed the air for Mikan and Grimmjow's scent. She detected the ninth Espada and a Shinigami, the eighth Espada and two others, the Seventh Espada... and a captain- level spiritual pressure?!

Leiko's eyes flew open and her mouth was ajar as she thought

Using sonido was painful and took a considerable toll on her meager strength, but Leiko kept at it, at least until she was at the entrance of Las Noches. The cold breeze brought the smell of death to her sharp nose. It wasn't an uncommon scent, but there was something different about this particular smell. She recognized it, an incredibly distant memory that had been buried under years and years of living, but she could still recall that smell. It was just too unfortunate that death had gotten to it before she had. She supposed she was always a little late on everything. Too little, too late.

And those captain- level reiatsus... It had to mean that Las Noches was being infiltrated with the Shinigami. Did Aizen know? Was this still all part of his plan? Leiko had no idea, but she didn't intend to stick around long enough to find out.

Leiko turned her back on the wide dunes of Hueco Mundo, retreating back into the threshold of Las Noches. Using sonido once more, she zipped through the sterile, empty halls, using her nose to guide her through the many winding corridors. If she absolutely _had_ to pick a side, then there was no use picking the one with the psychotic mastermind who was doing hell knew what while the enemy was fighting right under his nose. It didn't matter to Leiko either way, good or evil, this or that. She was just a tiny little stepping stone in all this, a small blade of grass in a meadow.

A wide smile graced Leiko's features. "Ow," she muttered, when she smiled too hard and opened up a healing cut that was on her cheek. Nevertheless, she hummed a cheery little tune as she sped across white, tiled floor, in search of Kurosaki's crew. She may be a microscopic fleck in the grand scheme of things, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to partake in this fun game everyone seemed to be playing. So much going on, so many contrasting agendas, and so few time. She supposed it would help the orange- haired boy if his little team was together, wouldn't it? Then she would gladly assume the role of the gatherer.

And then there was that one other thing. Grimmjow and Mikan. Well, she sure as hell hoped those two had hightailed it out of Hueco Mundo altogether, or she would be just the _tiniest _bit annoyed for giving up a leg for buying them time.

"Well, bastard- Gin," Leiko mused, with a closed- eye smile that even _he_ would've been proud of, "looks like I'm not dead, yet."

* * *

**A/N: Ok there it is D: Definitely wasn't my best work, but I hope it's enough to sate you guys until the next update, at least. Also, just curious because I may or may not have some plans, about what you guys would think of a sequel to this? Just curious is all :)) Anyways, drop me a review, give this story a follow, and as always, thank you SO MUCH for reading ^-^ peace.**


	22. Chapter 22: Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

**So I'm back, yay. Did you guys miss me? Because I sure did miss me some fanfic writing, although that may be one- sided lmao. Well anyways, I've actually been back for nearly a month, but I just haven't gotten around to writing this, due to this thing called life -_- soo... should I stop blabbering and get right in to the ****fanfic? Hehe, this will mostly be fluff I guess... truly sorry for anyone expecting actual plot /cries. Teeny bit of foreshadowing, but anyways, here you guys go, hope you enjoy ^_^**

**Chapter 22**

**Tonight, Tonight, Tonight**

There were three things Mikan was sure about herself.

One. That her identity was Mikan, she was eighteen years old, and she lived a relatively happy life.

Two. That there was an Arrancar named Grimmjow Jeagerjaques who had completely, utterly, stolen her heart in all of his brash ways.

And three. That she felt like someone was poking her back with a smoking hot rod.

Mikan woke up screaming, bolting up straight in the futon she was currently laying on. Breathing heavily, she rubbed her back and groaned from the inexplicable pain she felt, trying to suppress a wave of nausea that rolled over her.

"That's one way to start the day," Said the most comforting, sarcastic voice that could've reached her ears. Mikan turned her head to see Grimmjow sitting cross legged, one arm propped up on his knee with his head resting on his fist.

Mikan grumbled and grabbed her head with both hands, mind still feeling muddled. She recognized the room she was in as one of the many spare bedrooms in the back of Urahara Shop. If she was there, then it must mean that they had both made it back from Hueco Mundo. However, there was just an uncomfortable, dark feeling that she couldn't shake, and it had nothing to do with the teeth- chattering temperature of the room. She shook her head free and huddled under the thick futon blankets, mouth fixed into a small frown.

"So... I'm guessing we're back in the Human World?" Mikan asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Grimmjow's head tilted slightly on its side as he watched her. He gave a grunt that Mikan supposed was validating her thought.

Mikan hummed and sank lower into the warm covers so that they nearly reached her nose. Her eyebrows were slightly drawn together, eyes cast down as if she were looking at her feet through the blankets.

Grimmjow noticed the small frown before Mikan hid it, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to wipe it away and draw on the bright smile he was so used to seeing. Speaking of which, he felt it had been a damn long time since it had made an appearance. Maybe too long. On nothing more than a whim, and just because he could, the bluenette leaned forward and placed a light, chaste kiss on Mikan's forehead.

Her eyes immediately brightened, and her chin found its way over the top of the blankets. Grimmjow could only describe as childlike. He definitely didn't think cute, because his name was Grimmjow fucking Jeagerjaques, and there was only so low he could fall.

"What was that for him?" Mikan asked happily, sitting up with the blankets constricted around her like a burrito. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and rested her head on them.

Grimmjow shrugged. "Do I need a reason?"

A small smile. "I guess not."

There was a brief silence, before Mikan's memories suddenly came barreling into her like a semitruck and she opened her mouth to ask where everyone was, and whatever had happened to them, why they were just _sitting_ here like nothing was wrong-

Grimmjow's hooded eyes watched her lazily, could practically see her thoughts flying around in that head of hers.

"Chill." Grimmjow rolled his neck around, sighing contently afterwards. Mikan looked at him as if he had suddenly offered to help an old lady cross the street, and then immediately gone to volunteer at the orphanage afterwards.

"Shouldn't we be doing something more important?" Mikan asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Like what?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe something like making sure everyone didn't die while we're here lazing around," Mikan said monotonously, but with a sly grin starting to spread across her face.

Grimmjow scoffed, his mouth stretching to form his trademark shark tooth grin. "Trust me, that Strawberry ain't that easy to kill. They'll be fine, so there's no need for a human like you," Grimmjow got up and flicked Mikan on her forehead, "to worry about them."

Mikan smiled up at Grimmjow. "Right," she said softly, even though she couldn't help but think of what her friends were doing in Hueco Mundo... Speaking of which, why had they gone to Hueco Mundo?

As Mikan tried to sort her thoughts out, the bluenette smiled a slanted grin at her an left the room. "Gotta go talk to the shady shopkeeper. Stay in bed," he called out from the hall, as if Mikan had the motivation to get out from under the warm blanket.

As the sound of his footsteps faded away, she let out a deep sigh and rolled on her side.

"Ugh, I can't remember!" Mikan shouted to herself, but not quite loud enough to reach downstairs. It was such a stupid, simple question but... she just couldn't summon the reason why everyone had gone to Hueco Mundo. Perhaps she hit her head or something. Was this memory loss some weird side effect from sonido- ing too much? Or maybe it was just temporary disorientation. Whatever the case, it was practically the tipping point in all the crazy things Mikan had been through in the past week alone.

Lips pursed, one hand underneath her head, Mikan just let out a long groan. It was a groan filled with frustration, worry, boredom, and simple _done- ness_ with the crazy world of Soul Reapers and Hollows. Why was Aizen so evil? She had never even seen a picture of the man, so it was hard to say too much about him. Mikan wondered if he had the stereotypical villain laugh, or if he looked like every other, regular person. Maybe he was even, dare she say it? Attractive.

Nah, probably not.

Just as Mikan felt the glorious arms of sleep starting to pull her in, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang against the wall. Arms spread wide as a canyon and a cartoon smile across his face was none other than Urahara, who swept Mikan up as if he were examining a kitten.

"Mikan, how are you? Looks like the dead atmosphere of Hueco Mundo really did a number on you, huh? Haha, so let's not go there ever again, agreed?" Urahara drawled in his usual comedic tone, his wide- brimmed hat hiding the fatherly, concerned look in his eyes. Although roughly only a day had passed in Hueco Mundo, it was equivalent to an entire week in the World of the Living. And it had been a week of constant worrying and putting on a fake smile for Urahara, who really cared for Mikan more than anyone could imagine. He just didn't always show it.

"I'm fine, really. See? No injuries," Mikan said reassuringly as she gestured to herself.

A head of blue peeked around the corner of the door frame. "Still batshit crazy, isn't he?"

Mikan stifled a laugh with her hand, and Urahara set her down again. Mouth hanging open in a goofy smile, he turned towards Grimmjow and raised his cane, giving the bluenette two sharp pokes against the forehead.

Grimmjow yelled out, aggressively batting the stick away. "What the hell was that for, you crazy clog- wearer?!"

Urahara chortled and waved his hand around lazily.

"Don't use that kind of language around Mikan."

Grimmjow scoffed and rolled his eyes. The aforementioned girl caught his eye and sneered, playfully sticking her tongue at him while behind the protection of her father's back.

"Why you little-"

Urahara cut in, "I have to go to the Soul Society for an emergency. I trust you," he suddenly pointed at Grimmjow with his cane, making the bluenette flinch slightly, "will take care of Mikan in my absence. Mikan, I hate to do this to you, but I really must get back." He patted her head and then raised a hand in goodbye.

"Later." Urahara exited the room, leaving just Grimmjow and Mikan alone together.

Mikan was the first to start talking again.

"What do you think he's going back for?" She asked curiously. The last time she could recall him going to the Soul Society was quite a while ago, perhaps shortly after Ichigo had become a Substitute Soul Reaper. Regardless, it couldn't mean anything good if he was going at such a dangerous time.

Grimmjow stiffened for a fraction of a second before relaxing and averting his gaze from Mikan. "Hell if I know," he said vaguely.

Mikan raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Somehow, she wasn't totally buying his clueless act, but decided to drop it anyways. She shrugged.

"Ok. Whatever." Mikan planted herself onto the futon, stretching her legs out in front of her. Grimmjow's reaction to her simple question seemed weird. He had turned his face away from her, either randomly or on purpose, so she couldn't make out his expression. Whatever. Maybe it was just her imagination stirring up trouble.

The room that had felt so cold when she first came to suddenly felt a bit too warm for her liking. There was an awkward tension between the two of them, and Mikan didn't quite know what to do. The atmosphere reflected how she felt about the whole Shinigami world currently. And that was just it- she had no idea what to do. She was different from everyone else involved. Mikan was human; a fragile, delicate, little thing that got hurt by the slightest things in the Hollow World. She didn't have any fancy time- reversal power, or a sword that transformed at the call of its master.

She was just... a human. So maybe it was best to back out of things now, while she still could.

Mikan sighed and stood up, attracting Grimmjow's attention. She walked towards the door and said, "I'm gonna go buy some food from the nearby convenience store. Bye."

The girl had barely made it down the stairs when she heard a heavier set of footfalls behind her. Mikan looked up her to find, unsurprisingly, Grimmjow standing over her, arms resting on the walls around them.

"You didn't think you'd be walking around alone at a time like this, didja?" Grimmjow asked sarcastically. His hands came to rest on top Mikan's shoulders as he steered her down the stairs and to the door. Mikan laughed lightly as she stuffed on her flats haphazardly, seeing as Grimmjow wasn't allotting her any time to properly fix them on. Just as she slid open the door of Urahara Shop, Mikan glanced back to look at Grimmjow. He was already staring at her with those too- blue eyes of his, sending a small shiver down her back. Upon suddenly locking eyes with Mikan, Grimmjow's lips curved into a small, set smile, one that was different from the smug, shark- tooth grin he always gave.

This one was... sweet. It was small, and content, and not anything like Grimmjow.

Mikan gave back a closed- eye grin and tugged on Grimmjow's right arm, leading him out into the cool, crisp air that signified the arrival of Fall.

Resting her head on his upper arm, Mikan sighed softly. It felt so nice, just walking carefree as any other teenage girl. And it was just an added bonus that Grimmjow hadn't complained about a single thing. Mikan was sure their relationship definitely wasn't anything within the "friend" category... but could she apply the terms, girlfriend and boyfriend to her and Grimmjow? The words seemed too ordinary, something too human, to describe what Mikan and Grimmjow had. But it didn't matter to Mikan whether or not there was something to explain her and the blue- haired idiot.

She smiled, letting out a sweet giggle as she subconsciously leaned closer to Grimmjow's warm body, against the chilling air.

"Grimm?" She said, shortening the blue- haired man's name. He gave no sign as to if he was bothered by the abbreviation or not, only giving a cursory look to his right, as if saying, _yes?_

"I love you." She had said it before, but she was saying it again. It was so hopelessly true, Mikan wanted to cover her reddening cheeks with her hands.

They turned the corner with Grimmjow still keeping quiet. In 20 feet or so, Mikan could see the glowing sign of the small corner-store she frequented other than Urahara Shop.

A tall, busty woman with long wavy hair and clothed in the latest fashions strolled down the sidewalk on the opposite side of Grimmjow and Mikan. Multiple shopping bags dangled at the crook of her elbow, nearly blocking the view of the much shorter, curiously white- haired boy at her side. They seemed to be arguing about something, although the woman simply laughed and batted her hand reassuringly.

Mikan watched the two turn the corner and vanish from sight. Looking back in front of her, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. The two looked _so familiar, _their identities just at the tip of her tongue. Damn, she knew she was forgetful, but this was putting a person with memory loss to shame. After all, how many white- haired people had she ever met?

Mikan growled quietly, eliciting an eyebrow arching from Grimmjow, although he didn't ask.

"Alright woman, buy your shit. I'll be waiting outside," Grimmjow said nonchalantly. The girl sighed, shaking her head in mock disdain. Mikan let Grimmjow's arm slip out reluctantly, only letting go when the automatic door slid open for her.

The cashier stationed at the counter gave Mikan a strange look as he watched the girl act as if something had just left her arms. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he continued reading his newspaper.

As Mikan strolled down the aisles, rubbing her arms to create some warmth against the blasting AC of the store. She realized, as her eyes flitted over the various foods and packages, she didn't actually have any intention to buy anything. Except maybe some juice. Giving a chaste sigh (if that was even possible), Mikan lugged out a carton of orange juice from the fridge in the back of the store and made her way to the counter, tossing down a bill that was slightly more than what the drink was worth.

As soon as she exited the store, there was a bounce in her step and a smile made it way back on her face. Mikan turned her head left and right, searching for any fleeting sights of azure strands in the darkening setting of the streets, but nothing caught her eye.

She told herself to stay calm, but her heart started racing. Mikan started walking back to Urahara shop, grocery bag weighing in one hand, eyes constantly searching in front of her.

_It's okay... He probably just went ho_me first, Mikan thought. _It's okay... He's okay._

"Boo." Suddenly, a large hand patted down on her shoulder, and a face came close, right next to her left ear. Mikan shrieked loudly, dropping the bag and immediately whirling around to mercilessly smash the palm of her right hand into whichever pedophile's disgusting face it was.

"Ow! What the hell?!" The hand on her shoulder vanished, instead shielding an eye instead. It took Mikan a moment to realize that she had not been attacked by a possible pedophile, but Grimmjow.

She burst out laughing at the sight of the tall man on one knee, very obviously pissed off as he gingerly touched his right eye. It had surprised the hell out of Grimmjow when that palm came out of nowhere, socking him right in the eye, but it had surprised Mikan even more afterwards; she couldn't believe that she had managed to land a hit on Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, of all people.

"I'm so sorry!" Mikan said, although the bluenette had a hard time taking her words to heart when she was practically doubled over laughing. He stood grumbling, shooting her a dirty look, although he still picked up the grocery bag himself.

"Let's just go home," he mumbled, one long arm arching across Mikan's back with his hand wrapped around her arm as he brought her close to him, albeit rather forcefully.

Mikan hugged Grimmjow back, absolutely glowing after his little prank went wrong. "Sorry." She wasn't really.

He gave a scoff and looked away as if he couldn't have cared less, but surprised Mikan when she felt a light kiss placed on top her head.

"I swear, you're making me fucking weak as hell," Grimmjow grumbled as they walked home.

It was then that it occurred to Mikan that after she had stated she loved him, he hadn't given her a reply. But she also realized it didn't matter if he didn't say it back. Because Grimmjow didn't speak his thoughts, he showed them through actions.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah... VERY fluffy chapter, imo. Lmao, I tried dropping in tiny bits and pieces from the main story, but maybe it was too subtle ;)) don't worry, the Shinigami aren't just leisurely strolling the streets right now, they have their duties, haha. Did anyone get that? No, ok, bye. Reviews will motivate me greatly, but thank you so much for reading :) peace. **

**P.S. (the chapter title is the 4th Bleach opening, heehee). **


	23. Chapter 22 (pt 2): What you do to Me

**A/N: Ah yes, for those of you following me and my other story "If You Stay," then you must surely be tsk- tsk- tsking at me furiously right now. First and foremost, I have NO excuse for leaving you guys hanging for so much, r.i.p. Literally, I'm just going to pretend like school got the best of me (which is actually sort of the truth. School's a bitch :)) but yeah, I just haven't found the time and motivation to properly sit down and draft out a document and update my story and I am SO sorry, you guys, because I personally hate it when authors just abandon their stories without any say prior. Geez, I'm such a hypocrite and you guys can flame me in the comments, lmao. Well. It doesn't really get better from here because this chapter doesn't even have any substance pertaining to the plot lol. Um. I was just listening to "Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White Ts and I got kinda in a cutesy, writey mood so this is my brain child. VERY fluff. Very OOC grimm if you ask me, lol. (P.s. I don't own any of the lyrics) Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 22.5**

**What you do to Me**

"Grimmjow?"

"Hm."

Mikan rolled over onto her stomach, her head resting on the palms of her hands as she gazed lovingly up at the blue- haired man's face, his mouth fixed into a small frown as he scanned the contents of her school book with a bored expression.

"There's only one thing," Mikan sang softly, quietly enough to make Grimmjow flit his cerulean eyes over to her and arch an eyebrow.

"To do," she continued, tilting her head as a small smile crept onto her face. She was certainly enjoying the undivided attention Grimmjow was giving her, regardless of her awful singing (there was a reason why everyone always vacated Urahara Shop when Mikan began singing).

"Three words," Mikan chirped. Her legs swung back and forth to the tune of the song. Grimmjow had put the book down and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at the girl. Anyone else would have utterly wilted and crumbled under the intense scrutiny of his blue orbs, but Mikan found herself falling deeper into the small bottomless pits of ocean.

"Fo- o- o- r you," she got up, folding her legs underneath her body as she gently took Grimmjow's hand. He made no move to stop whatever the hell the girl was up to. Lately, it seemed all her actions were devoid of any thought- spontaneous. And she amused him enough that he just happened to like to linger around wherever she was. She was captivating in a simple, charming, innocent way. In all her furious beauty.

"I love you." Mikan's eyebrows knit together and her hands slid to the very fingertips of his hand. Both of hers were nearly small enough to fit in one of his hands. She was so fragile and delicate. Grimmjow gave a huff of air, not quite sure what to say, but discovering that there wasn't really any words to use at all. He didn't need any. He didn't want to say anything. Because it seemed that after spending so much time with the very humans he used to look down upon, he realized there truly were some special individuals that were worthy of giving all his undivided attention. And Mikan? She was just so rare. And Grimmjow, in all his brutish ways, had to admit to the depths of cruel Hollow soul that he liked her.

He wanted her by his side. And he wanted to be able to flick her forehead whenever she screwed up. And for her to say stupid things so he could roll his eyes, and she would pout, but eventually gravitate back to him and shower him with love. Grimmjow was just selfish, and he didn't care if that's what being with Mikan meant.

"I do too," he muttered under his breath, so quiet that Mikan almost mistook it for another sigh. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Huh? What'd you say?" She asked with bated breath.

Grimmjow scoffed and averted his eyes. "You know what I said."

Mikan smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I do."

* * *

**A/N: Um. Yeah, that's it. I just needed to get something out or I'm going to die from guilt. Whale, leave me a review if you liked it, if you're annoyed, if you hated it, if you want an actual chapter, if you want me to stop being lazy and write something exciting for once, the works. And as always, thank you so so SO much for reading :) have an awesome day.**

**Edit: I just uploaded and deleted this chapter like 5 times because I realized it kept changing the 22.5 in the title to 225 so sorry if your email's linked to and you just got like 10 emails lol...I just titled it 23 but you guys know what I mean ;)**


	24. Chapter 23: Missing Chain

**A/N: The shame is real. It is very real. *throws confetti* welcome to hell where the author of this fanfic never updates and always writes shitty chapters !**

**Chapter 23**

**Missing Chain **

**(Recap of ch. 22 since it's been so long lmao)**

_A tall, busty woman with long wavy hair and clothed in the latest fashions strolled down the sidewalk on the opposite side of Grimmjow and Mikan. Multiple shopping bags dangled at the crook of her elbow, nearly blocking the view of the much shorter, curiously white- haired boy at her side. They seemed to be arguing about something, although the woman simply laughed and batted her hand reassuringly._

_Mikan watched the two turn the corner and vanish from sight. Looking back in front of her, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. The two looked so familiar, their identities just at the tip of her tongue. Damn, she knew she was forgetful, but this was putting a person with memory loss to shame. After all, how many white- haired people had she ever met?_

_Mikan growled quietly, eliciting an eyebrow arching from Grimmjow, although he didn't ask._

_"Alright woman, buy your shit. I'll be waiting outside," Grimmjow said nonchalantly. The girl sighed, shaking her head in mock disdain. Mikan let Grimmjow's arm slip out reluctantly, only letting go when the automatic door slid open for her._

_The cashier stationed at the counter gave Mikan a strange look as he watched the girl act as if something had just left her arms. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he continued reading his newspaper._

_As Mikan strolled down the aisles, rubbing her arms to create some warmth against the blasting AC of the store. She realized, as her eyes flitted over the various foods and packages, she didn't actually have any intention to buy anything. Except maybe some juice. Giving a chaste sigh (if that was even possible), Mikan lugged out a carton of orange juice from the fridge in the back of the store and made her way to the counter, tossing down a bill that was slightly more than what the drink was worth._

_As soon as she exited the store, there was a bounce in her step and a smile made it way back on her face. Mikan turned her head left and right, searching for any fleeting sights of azure strands in the darkening setting of the streets, but nothing caught her eye._

**_. . ._**

"Caaaptaaaain," came a bored drawl. There was no reply to it.

"Come on, captain. We've been in this exact spot for like three hours. I think your senses were a little off," teased the auburn- haired woman. The aforementioned captain's face was set in a stony expression, one snowy eyebrow twitching in irritation as his temper was about to shoot through the roof.

"Rangiku, I definitely felt its spiritual pressure and if you don't like the duties and obligations of a lieutenant then I will gladly have you replaced!" Toshiro retorted back. Rengiku sighed grumpily and shifted herself so she was sitting cross- legged on top of the roof they were perched on. Grumbling to herself about something along the lines of "hot- tempered midget," and, "annoying," she had no other choice but to sit idly and wait for further commands.

Toshiro was as still as a statue, sitting with his arms crossed. The only movement between the two was their hair as the occasional autumn breeze tousled it and sent chills down their back. The Karakura night was so quiet, it was as if the two Shinigami would be able to hear the scurrying paws of a mouse in the empty streets.

It really was awfully quiet... And considering the Soul Society and Aizen were at the brink of a war that could potentially eliminate the World of the Living all together, that wasn't a terribly positive sign.

Toshiro stood up, his white haori rippling in the wind.

"Rangiku, let's go visit Urahara," he said. His lieutenant tilted her head in confusion.

"What for?"

"Never mind that, let's just go."

With that, the two disappeared from the roof, so fast that the human eye would've missed them in a blink.

* * *

Mikan warmed her hands around the mug of hot chocolate she had just brewed while pouring over the mounds of homework assignments she had accumulated in her absence from school.

"Gah, Grimmjow there's no way I can finish all of this in less than a week no less! We're probably so far ahead in my classes that by the time I get back, the teachers will all think I'm a no- good, lazy, unmotivated, stupid student!" Mikan wailed miserably, halfheartedly flipping through her math textbook.

The blue- haired Arrancar shrugged nonchalantly as he picked up an apple and examined it.

"Why does it matter what they think of you? Just don't go back." Grimmjow took a bite out of the apple, giving the girl an unimpressed look. Mikan rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the table.

"Grimmjow, you don't get it. Urahara said he told the school you got transferred to a different school, but for me, a serious case of pneumonia can only last so long!" Mikan snapped sarcastically. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall. He didn't know what pneumonia was because he had never been sick before, and he didn't particularly care.

"Damn, woman. Humans have a lot of stupid rules, but this _school_ takes the cake. You can count me out for good," He said breezily, about to make his way upstairs when they both heard knocking at the front door.

Mikan looked at Grimmjow before getting up and making her way to the store section of Urahara Shop. Grimmjow trailed behind her, and although he wasn't in a _gigai_ so humans wouldn't be able to see him, still suppressed his spiritual level as low as he could manage.

It was a bit late at night for customers to still be coming to the store. Mikan faintly remembered Urahara flipping the open sign to closed before leaving for the Soul Society. Maybe it was one of the Visored? Ichigo?

With the thought that her friends had returned from Hueco Mundo, Mikan took hold of the door handle and slid it open, ready to greet whoever was there.

"Hi-" She began, before all traces of happiness left her voice. Standing face to face with her and Grimmjow wasn't Ichigo or Uryu or Orihime. It wasn't a customer either. No, of course, it had to the Soul Reaper captain Toshiro and his lieutenant, Rangiku.

It was too late for Grimmjow to _sonido_ his ass out of there, too. He stared at the white- haired boy, whose mouth hung slightly ajar. The woman behind him was staring at his Hollow fragment with wide eyes, her hands frozen in whatever gesture she was about to do.

Mikan was the first to speak. She cleared her throat, and Grimmjow sent a cursory glance at her, taking note of her slightly reddened cheeks and jittery hands.

"I can explain."

"Yes, Mikan- I believe it was? I surely do hope you can explain why there has been an Espada residing in Urahara's Shop for the past month and a half," Toshiro asked in an authoritative voice. For what it was worth, the two were taking the news a lot better than Mikan and Grimmjow had imagined.

"_Well_," Mikan said slowly, "if you would come this way, then I would be glad to tell you." She stepped aside, allowing the Soul Reapers to cross into the room. Grimmjow didn't miss the way their eyes lingered a bit longer than needed, and how although their hands rested casually near or on their zanpakuto, he was sure they'd be unleashing them at the drop of a hat.

Mikan led them into the kitchen in the back of the shop, so the two Soul Reapers sat across from Mikan and Grimmjow. A heavy, uncomfortable silence filled the air. Mikan was so used to people launching themselves at Grimmjow with their swords drawn, that it seemed almost bizarre to have a proper sit- down, at the table, conversation.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Well? If Urahara is here, I'd like to speak with him, as well."

The girl shook her head. "He left for the Soul Society earlier and didn't say why or when he'd be back."

Rangiku sighed and rested her head on her palm.

"For some reason, even though we should totally be arresting him and you as well for treason against the Soul Society, I have a feeling that's not happening today." Rangiku gave an accusing glare at Grimmjow, who narrowed his eyes at her and slightly sneered, casually revealing two sharp teeth. She harrumphed and pointedly tossed her head away from his direction, which predictably sent Grimmjow into a frenzy.

He made a start and growled, "You bit-" Just then, Mikan firmly set her hands on top of his broad shoulders and forcibly sat him down in his seat, giving him a glare that could cut diamonds. The azure- haired man didn't break his intense stare at the ginger Shinigami, but he did mumble something incoherent under his breath and make a big deal out of sighing and resting his hand on his palm, turned away from Mikan.

"Eheh, sorry about that," Mikan apologized sweetly, taking a complete 180 from her previous expression. She raised her pointer finger, cheering up considerably, "Well anyways, Grimmjow's only here because actually, he uh, Aizen did something... um..." Mikan trailed off lamely, her finger slowly drooping. All three of the others in the room sent her a questioning look as her mind raced about what was happening.

Grimmjow was... he was living with them because Aizen... did something... that... _What the hell? Mikan thought as screeching alarms went off in her head, she couldn't remember how Grimmjow had got here? _

A soft nudge came from her left. Grimmjow had his eyes narrowed in what seemed like a hostile glare, but was in fact coded with the message: _what's up?_

_"_Mikan, are you alright?" Toshiro asked, his patience beginning to wear thin. He had only planned to hear the two out if they had a legitimate reason for housing an Arrancar. Anything less than his standard and he'd have Squad Two here in three minutes flat. Speaking of which, hadn't Soi Fon's Stealth Force been ordered to capture an Arrancar a couple weeks ago, but it had escaped from the Soul Society? And here there was yet another Hollow sitting right across from him...

Toshiro pieced the puzzle together in his head. It wasn't hard to connect the two incidents and come to a conclusion. His hand was already reaching for his zanpakuto when Mikan burst out, "Oh yeah, he's not with Aizen anymore!"

Another awkward silence settled in. _The Hollow wasn't affiliated with Aizen's ranks?_ Toshiro pondered. It was hard to believe an Espada- level being would so willingly walk away from its creator. After all, didn't all Hollows just seek to wreak havoc and grow stronger?

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" He asked harshly, but not completely meaning it. He'd see what they had to say first...

"Well _Soul Reaper," _Grimmjow sneered, "Believe what you want but that's the truth. And here's the scar to prove it," he jerked his thumb at his chest and pulled down the neckline of his shirt to reveal a long scar that started from the base of his neck and trailed down below his collarbone. "That Aizen isn't anything but a tea- drinking, piece of shit. And if you ever run into him than you can tell him I said that," he concluded impressively.

"That's... something else," Rengiku remarked slowly. It was hard to say she didn't believe the blue- haired brute after he so confidently declared his disconnection from the ex- captain.

Toshiro sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "Damn... and this is all happening in the middle of all the turmoil in the Soul Society too. I don't see how things can get more complicated and messier than this."

"So are you going to tell your higher ups?" Mikan finally piped up from her spot. Grimmjow noticed that her face was no longer flushed, but instead had turned paler than a freshly fallen snow. What was going on with her?

The white- haired captain rose from his seat. "No... no I can't say I won't. As understanding as I may be, I can assure you that some of the other captains will certainly not take well to the news of an Espada in the World of the Living," he said, his mind briefly flickering to the captains of squad two and six. "In any case, I won't report this case quite yet. I'll take some preliminary measures to ensure _you_, " he looked at Grimmjow, "don't cause any trouble. In the meanwhile, just keep your heads down and don't attract to much attention." Toshiro then stood up, taking his sword (still in his sheath), and brought it up to Mikan forehead. Grimmjow's legs had tensed, ready to fight the bastard if he was going to pull some kind of trick. But the captain merely pulled the sword out about an inch or so, enough to lightly tap Mikan's forehead with the butt of the sword.

"What was that for, captain?" Rangiku asked, voicing the questions of the other two as well. Toshiro took his chin between his pointer finger and thumb, obviously musing something to himself.

"I had sensed something was off about the spiritual pressure of you. Of course, most humans have low pressures, but yours in particular feels... _off," _he concluded. Mikan placed a hand on her forehead, but nothing seemed out of place.

"The fuck do you mean off?" Grimmjow asked crudely, his hands curling into fists.

"Maybe if you kept listening you would know what my captain has to say!" Rangiku hissed defensively. The blue- haired Arrancar made a face and jerked his chin at her in a challenge.

"Yeah? Well I don't give two fuc-!"

"Grimmjow!"

"Rangiku!" Toshiro and Mikan yelled at the same time, slamming both their hands down at the table. The two who were being scolded folded their harms and huffed like misbehaving children, refusing to look at one another.

"As you were saying, Captain Toshiro?" Mikan said through her clenched teeth, shooting a look at Grimmjow.

"It felt as if your spiritual pressure were cut in half. In other words, it doesn't feel complete. At first I thought there may have been some implications with your soul at first, such as if you were a human whose soul had passed and needed to be sent to the Soul Society. But that doesn't seem to be it. The only thing I can think of is if there were something wrong with your actual soul chain," Toshiro concluded. Mikan paled, her hands clasped tightly together in front of her in her lap.

An arm came around her, roughly pulling her to the left. Grimmjow wasn't looking at her, but she still appreciated the warmth that his body gave compared to her cold one. It scared her to think that there was something wrong with her soul chain, the very thing connecting her to this world. Hell, to life!

"You should get someone to take a look at it," Toshiro advised. "I'm not sure how it's possible, but your chain could be damaged. And in that case, it would be the cause for any abnormal personalities, memory gaps, and the such." He stood up from his chair, gesturing for Rangiku to follow suit. Mikan got up as well, taking Grimmjow with her as they followed the Shinigami to the door.

"You guys are leaving?" Mikan asked with a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. Captain Toshiro had mentioned memory gaps... perhaps that was the reason behind all her random memory blanks recently? And what perfect timing as well, seeing as Urahara wasn't here, and neither was Ichigo or anyone else. She wanted to solve whatever was going on with her soul and chains and whatever, and as soon as possible.

Rangiku and Toshiro turned slightly before opening the door, letting a sliver of cool air hit the two inside. "Yes. I can look into the matter if you want, but your Espada friend may take priority," Toshiro said, much to Grimmjow's annoyance.

"Look, who gives a shit about me? If no one's realized where I've run off to, then it's not that big of a deal. Just fix whatever _her_ problem is first before you come nosing around for me again," Grimmjow said, not realizing how much his words made Mikan internally cry with happiness. Although he may have said it in a crude way, she could hear the underlying message that he wanted her to take priority over himself.

"Look, _Espada_, if it hadn't been me who had answered the door, you would all be halfway to the Soul Society by now, so don't give me orders to follow," Toshiro snapped back, his large emerald eyes glinting in the dark lighting of the night. There was a dangerous silence, before he left the shop, white _haori_ flapping behind him. Rangiku nodded her head to Mikan, and made a face at Grimmjow before following her captain out the door.

Mikan watched them flash step into the distance, offhandedly noting how bright the moon looked tonight. She felt Grimmjow move behind her, resting his chin on her head and wrapping his arms around her neck so it nested between his elbows in a head- lock sort of way. It was strangely comforting, though, so she didn't move.

"Grimm, I'm kind of scared. I don't want to die or forget anything," she said quietly. He didn't say anything back, not even complaining about the abbreviation of his name.

"Nah, you'll be fine. You'll turn out smiling and doing school and shit," Grimmjow joked reassuringly, although it almost seemed more for him than Mikan.

Neither of them spoke for a while, leaving only the calm before the colossal storm that was to come to fill in the silence.

* * *

**A/N: Ok I probably spent a total of four hours on this damn chapter because I told myself that I was going to publish one that wasn't actually all fluff so hERE YOU GUYS GO /cries. Please, por favor, review and like and follow and [insert more shameless self promotion] because I haven't eaten in a week and I survive on feedback. Jk. But not really. But I hope you guys don't find any loopholes because I'm seriously considering doing a massive rewrite of this trainwreck. But thank you to everyone who is still following and reading this story, because seriously, you guys deserve a batch of cookies. As always, thanks so much for reading. ~ A**

**P.S. (if anyone is interested in being a beta for this story then PM me? Not sure yet, but it'd be nice to have someone give chaps a once- over seeing as I never do .) **


	25. Chapter 25: What can a Pebble Do?

***slides in. Ok guys I typed this chapter with fake nails on so it took like 10 minutes to type a word. Not really, I just want an excuse for my long intervals between updates lmao. In all seriousness, it actually WAS somewhat difficult typing for those of you who care :) and one last thing, please note that since in this story, everything in the Bleach story line is kinda screwed up, that means that I'm basically going to rewrite the Aizen arc because I can lmao. Also, I kinda bs-ed the location of Urahara Shop for plot purposes :) Enjoy. **

**Chapter 25**

**What can a Pebble Do?**

"I just don't understand why I even _need_ the damn thing," Grimmjow grumbled passive aggressively, although somehow, whenever it came to the blue- haired man, everything always sounded more _aggressive_ and not so much _passive_.

Mikan shot him a look. "Well, if you're just so willing to get your butt hauled to the Soul Society, then _fine_! I don't care! It's not like I want to put up with you and your smart ass- y ways!" Mikan shouted, and threw down Grimmjow's _gigai_, making him slightly flinch as he watched his fake copy hit the floor with a dull thud. Mikan stormed off upstairs, in an angry way that had Grimmjow completely baffled. What was she so upset about? He hadn't even said anything wrong, damn it. Humans were so sensitive. Especially the females.

He let out an exasperated groan. Lately, after the chibi captain had popped in for his little "visit," it seemed the girl had a temper shorter than a burning fuse. And he definitely didn't appreciate having to hold in half his side comments as if he were treading on thin ice 24/7. Which in some ways wasn't too far off. He'd rather kiss Aizen's boots and praise him as almighty than admit Mikan scared him sometimes. It was just those eyes. The way they'd sharpen from warm, comforting hazel, to wicked, unforgiving tones of brown. It creeped him out sometimes. Not that he could ever say that to her, or she'd pounce on his case again.

It was times like this, when Mikan was all mad at him and holed up in her room, that he half wished Strawberry and his posse were back from hell knows where. At least they were human and knew how to deal with her.

Or did Mikan want him to talk to her? Didn't she _just_ say she didn't want to put up with him, though? Damn, she was so confusing!

"I didn't sign up for this shit," Grimmjow mumbled, snatching his _gigai_ up from the floor and angrily stuffing his limbs into the suit, uncomfortable as it was. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stomped up the stairs, much like an angsty teen after an argument. D_own the hall, to the right._ Grimmjow only hesitated for a second before barging into her room, where Mikan was huddled under a thick blanket pulled over her head, pillows built in a shitty fort all around her.

"What are you- seven?" He said accusingly, almost forgetting why he'd come in the first place. She looked so ridiculous, but in a way that made him want to swear loudly and sweep her into his arms so he could show the whole world how stupidly childish she was.

Mikan sank lower into her pillow fort. "L' me lone." Her voice was muffled by the blanket, but it was clear to even Grimmjow that she didn't really mean what she'd said.

"You don't mean that," He voiced his thoughts, slightly hoping that he was right. He could never tell with these mushy, complicated feelings and shit. He let himself in and walked next to her, moving a couple of pillows and huddling next to her.

Mikan let herself tip over to one side so she could rest her head on his shoulder. At least the one thing that remained constant in this whirlwind of life was Grimmjow. He'd always be insensitive, but nicely so, if that made any sense at all.

"If you're worried about what that Shinigami brat said about your soul, then don't worry. It's probably not even that big of a fucking d-"

"But it _is_, Grimmjow!" Mikan interrupted him. "Urahara isn't here, neither is Ichigo, and Orihime isn't either! We're all alone. I have no fucking clue what's going on with the whole Aizen thing, seeing as no one will even let me step outside, dammit, and on top of that my memories are fu-mfffhm!" Mikan shrank back as a large hand came clamping down on top of her mouth and successfully preventing any further noise from coming out.

"Will you calm down? God woman, you're giving me a headache. And if there's anything to know about the Aizen stuff, it's that I wouldn't let anything near you in a fifty- meter radius." He said, "So you don't need to worry about anything, got it? Just go back to your smiling and rainbows and shit and if anything happens I'll- " Grimmjow was stopped mid- sentence when he and Mikan were suddenly sent to their knees as the world took a complete one eighty and uninvited guests made their presence known.

* * *

"I'm leaving Hueco Mundo in your capable hands, Ulquiorra," He turned to a solemn- faced figure to the far left, "I trust you to make sure nothing's out of place." His words left a hint of an underlying meaning and were honey- sweet, giving a chillingly innocent appearance paired with those diamond- cut eyes that held no mercy. Aizen turned away from the passive man and, in a quick flash, was gone.

Ulquiorra didn't flinch, much less blink as he knew Aizen had gone over to launch the attack on the Soul Reapers. And he had no concerns in Aizen- sama's abilities, seeing as he was bringing the other two ex- Shinigami as well Hueco Mundo's three strongest _Espada_.

Well... not that anyone _knew_ he had his second...

Emerald- green eyes slightly shifted to the left, where a slight rumble behind the white walls was heard. A cold hand rested on top a green- hilted zanpakuto and Ulquiora... well.

_Aizen- sama left him to get rid of any inconveniences, hadn't he?_

* * *

Mikan flexed a wrist, and then an ankle. It didn't seem she had broken any bones, or that anything violent had occurred, seeing as her room was still completely intact. She was starting to feel an incredible sense of déjà vu, which just went to show how incredibly strange her life had gotten. On the other hand, the thing that unnerved her was Grimmjow, whose jaw was clenched and eyes more piercing than she had ever seen them. Mikan slightly flinched when he whipped his head towards her, firmly grabbing her wrist and sweeping her off the floor in a true bridal fashion.

Laying harmlessly and strewn halfway across the room was his zanpakuto, _Pantera_. Not like he couldn't fight his opponents with his bare fists, but it would certainly lead to a high percentage of bones shattered.

Mikan scrambled to grab hold of his shoulders, a strange, animalistic- half scream dying in her throat when Grimmjow nudged the window open with his toe and boldly jumping out from the 19- foot high ledge. Long hair whipped all around Mikan's face and in her mouth, her iron- clad grip on Grimmjow only digging into his shoulders more as his long legs stretched out to absorb the impact when the sidewalk and pavement slightly trembled with a heavy but firm landing of Grimmjow's feet.

To a third person, the scene would've looked like a blue- haired man jumping out the window, with a small, possibly a brown cat, clinging to him for dear life.

As soon as Mikan realized she wasn't dead (she confirmed this first by wiggling a few fingers to make sure she still had feeling left in them), she peered out of one eye, and then opened the other and gave Grimmjow a hard slug in the arm. He clearly wasn't fazed by the slightest, but Mikan still had to express herself somehow, and she didn't think jumping into the nearest lake would get her point across.

"Are you crazy?! If you wanted to go outside then _why didn't you just use the damn door_?" Mikan asked, flustered even more when Grimmjow pressed a finger to her lip. She arched an eyebrow, at this point, absolutely convinced that the Real World air was starting to affect his brain.

"Isn't it a little quiet around here?" He asked, holding Mikan closer to him by the slightest inch in an effort to appease his uneasiness. Mikan looked around the two and realized that the streets were actually deserted. It was about four in the afternoon, and yet not a single person was about.

It almost seemed... like a ghost town.

"I- I don't know, maybe? I j- Grimmjow, what's going on? Is it Aizen?" Mikan asked with the strains of fear creeping in. Why did it feel like she was about to get in a huge load of shit? There was that feeling of déjà vu again. And she had just been enjoying being alive when-

And at that time, Mikan felt her heart lurch out and leap onto the sidewalk when Grimmjow tackled Mikan to the ground, wrapping his strong arms around her as they tumbled across the pavement, being sure Mikan didn't hit the ground. From her barely- open eyes and blurred vision, she could see they were just barely in a narrow alley, enough that she was being entirely covered by Grimmjow's body, but half his legs were sticking out in the open. There was a quick flash of silver that sped past them, like a shooting star streaking by.

"You," Grimmjow growled from behind Mikan. His plain gray T- shirt (complimentary of Urahara) was bunched in Mikan's steel- like grip. She had no fucking clue what was happening. But she did know that something- _everything_, was about to go to hell.

"My, well that's not a very nice way to treat someone, now is it?" came an uncomfortably familiar voice that sent shiver down Mikan's back. From where she and Grimmjow were positioned in the small alley, she couldn't see who the speaker was. Her vision was further obstructed as Grimmjow shoved her behind him and stood out in the open. Clearly, he intended her to stay behind the wall and out of the view of whoever it was that was speaking. But her heart couldn't help but drop as the bluenette stalked out into the open, clearly (she did her best to ignore how his shirt was riding up in the back and exposed his toned back) unarmed and dressed in his human garb.

"Cut the crap, Gin. What the hell are you even doing here?" Grimmjow snarled, his muscles tense like coiled springs.

The lavender- haired man let out a delicate, tinkling sound of a laugh. "Well what do you mean Grimmjow? I'm here on Captain Aizen's orders, of course."

_Gin_, Mikan's mind recalled. The name was so familiar, but she couldn't for the life of her remember where and when she'd heard it. However, that wasn't the biggest of her concerns seeing as it was obviously someone dangerous. And Grimmjow was about to scuffle with him. Unarmed. Now, Mikan had complete faith in Grimmjow's abilities, but that was usually when he was actually holding a weapon. Not a... rock?

"You creepy son of a bitch. You shouldn't have come here. And facing me alone? Ha! You underestimate me."

_What? Quit talking smack to him you dumbass!_ Mikan mouthed to herself, mouth hanging ajar and eyebrows halfway up to heaven. He was crazy. He was literally, completely a lunatic and he was dead meat if she didn't do something fast. _Think, Mikan, think! Where had Grimmjow left his sword?_

The girl turned and looked around the narrow alley. From what she could tell, Urahara Shop was about two houses over, in the direction of Gin. And obviously, if she stepped out into the street to stroll on over, there was about a 99.99% chance she and Grimmjow would find themselves skewered on the pointy end of a zanpakuto. The .01% of course, being Gin happens to trip and fall on his own sword.

A rickety pair of stairs at the side of the alley led all the way to the top of the building complex. Since the houses were mostly conjoined or merely two feet and no less apart, it wouldn't be too much trouble for Mikan to skip on over. But how was she going to make her getaway without alerting the presence of Gin? After all, there was only so much time Grimmjow could buy with his bluffs before he was turned into a blue, well- done, Arrancar style shish kabob.

Mikan placed one foot on the first rung of the ladder, testing her weight before placing the other foot on as well. Slowly, she began creeping up the metal rungs, straining her ears for any sounds of Grimmjow dying. Not that she didn't have _complete_ faith in him, of course. Complete faith...

"Complete faith... just remember, he's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay," Mikan softly chanted to herself, trying her best to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes. Well, shit! Out of all the times for her emotions to start playing monkey in the middle in her brain, why did it have to be the day with the highest percent change of her and Grimmjow dying?

"Hey you, creepy fuck!" Came a cringeworthy- comment from somewhere below Mikan, who was perched at the edge of the building. Curiously, she spared a glance near Grimmjow's direction and, to her horror, watched as he tested the weight of a rock in his hand and launched it at Gin, who still bore his notorious grin.

_Grimmjow, you idiot! You stupid, stupid, stupid idiot!_ Milan screamed in her mind, all the while focusing on scurrying across the rooftops without being detected by Gin. She had a sick, twisting feel in her gut that Grimmjow was improvising 100%. As if his brash, charge- without- thinking fighting tactics weren't bad enough.

Urahara Shop was just up ahead. If she could make it down to the other side of the building complex, then she could grab Grimmjow's sword and get it to him before anyone ended up as a shish kabob.

Unfortunately, fate didn't exactly seem to be on Mikan's side today. Or ever, for that matter.

Just as she had placed one foot in front of the next, there was an oh- so familiar feeling of being pinned to the ground by an insane spiritual pressure.

"Well, what do we have here?" Came a whimsical tone. Mikan gritted her teeth and glared up at the shadow above her. Gin reached down and grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, bringing her close to him as if she were a puppy. His eyes were closed, but Mikan still felt like as exposed as the day she were born with the slight tilt of his head and the lopsided smile he wore.

Death was so close. It was so close that she could feel the Reaper's scythe inching towards her neck. The ghastly breath of death was practically right under her nose and then...

"Hey! This fight's between you and me!" At the same time, Gin and Mikan both looked to the edge of the building complex, where first one, then two hands grabbed onto the ledge and heaved a slightly disheveled, out of breath Grimmjow. If it had been a less life- threatening, critically perilous situation, she might have face palmed herself at the pure frustration she felt towards Grimmjow at the moment.

But in a move that surprised both of them, Gin shoved Mikan towards the blue- haired Arrancar, who immediately reached out to wrap his arms around her.

Gin turned away from the two. Facing away from them, he raised his right hand up to his face and opened it, revealing the same stone Grimmjow had thrown at him previously.

"Grimmjow, you've really changed a lot, eh?" Gin asked in a somewhat rhetorical manner. "It seems as if you've become almost a different person entirely. Were you really expecting to win against me without even your sword?"

The aforementioned man narrowed his eyes at the Shinigami. His mind hadn't exactly processed what was happening. Was Gin... letting them go?

"This Human World's a lot different from Hueco Mundo. You'd be surprised... Gin," Grimmjow replied back.

There was a moment of silence in which no words were exchanged from either man. Then, Gin lifted his arm and threw the stone back behind him, slow enough to allow Grimmjow to catch it even in his gigai form.

"Consider it as a token of appreciation. You almost remind me of a person I could never become," said Gin. He flash stepped, and was gone.

Grimmjow didn't lose any time mulling over Gin's last words. He was alive, Mikan was alive, and Gin was... on their side? Who the fuck knew, but the first thing he was doing was taking off his prison of a gigai and then getting his zanpakuto.

Grabbing Mikan close to him, he flicked her forehead, hard.

"Ow!"

"You stupid dumbass! Why the hell were you trying to get closer to that guy?" Grimmjow shouted.

"Because I was trying to get your zanpakuto, dumbass!" Mikan shouted back.

"Whatever," Grimmjow muttered and ran to the side of the building. He cleared the jump to the ground with Mikan tucked under his arm like a sack of potatoes. Placing her exactly next to the wall, he said, "Stay here and don't move an inch," and sprinted inside the shop to look for _Pantera_.

Mikan huffed indignantly and crossed her arms angrily. She tries to help and in return gets reprimanded for it? It was a load of BS if she had ever heard it.

In the distance, but close enough that she could see it fairly well, there were multiple figures who seemed to be suspended in midair. Billowing white _haoris_ and glinting edges of zanpakuto...

"Mikan!" Hearing her name being called, the girl turned around to see Grimmjow, who was back in his original Espada attire with his trusty sword strapped to his side. "Don't get out of my sight. We gotta find you someplace to be safe."

Shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand and pointing towards the figures with the other, Mikan said,

"I don't think that's even our biggest problem right now. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when all the captains and lieutenants of the Soul Society gather together, that's not exactly a good sign, is it?"

Grimmjow grabbed her tiny wrist with one hand and tugged her along.

"Guess we'll just have to found out."

"I was afraid you would say that."

* * *

Um ok, I'm officially sick of my own writing and this fix is such a mess and I have so many ideas for Kamisama Kiss and Kuroko no Basket fanfics lmao and I'm screaming because When Will This Fic Be Finished syndrome is setting in and I want to rewrite everything so bad because it's been like two years since I started this (holy shit!) and my writing has changed so much and this storyline has so many plotholes and yeah :'))) but ANYWAYS! thanks for reading, leave a comment, and have a faaaaantastic day see y'all in like five years.

\- A


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